Frozen: Playing with Fire
by code-t254139
Summary: A year has passed since Elsa became queen of Arendelle. Her relationship with her sister could not be closer, she has learned to control the magic inside her, and she has turned her life around. She wonders if she will ever find someone who is her equal, until one day she meets her. (Rated T just to be safe/first ever fic, let's give it a shot)
1. Chapter 1 - Queen of Arendelle

Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, Disney does.

It was the first day of summer in Arendelle, exactly a year ago since her coronation last summer. The harvest was very good this year, and the kingdom would be able to do much trade with the neighboring kingdoms. Despite giving up the kingdom of Weselton as their primary trader, they ended up prospering even more. She and Anna would joke between them both about the Duke of Weselton, specifically how Elsa made Anna dance with him. It was hardly dancing as the Duke pranced around Anna in the ballroom, with other people watching. To say he was a bit eccentric was an understatement.

She chuckled to herself about the funny memory she and her sister shared together. She and Anna grew much closer after her coronation, after releasing Arendelle's curse of eternal winter. To say those few days were chaos was an understatement. Ultimately it was her sister's sacrifice for her, which saved her life and Arendelle. It also changed her life. In the past year, she and Anna made up for all the times lost as siblings, when they were not able to be with each other.

Last winter on Christmas Eve, Anna's boyfriend Kristoff proposed to her. And of course, she excitedly said yes to him. After Anna's prior false engagement to Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, she was determined to date at least for half a year before getting engaged again. Kristoff who was very much in love with Anna, but horribly hid it, took to what Anna said seriously. And exactly half a year later, he waited to propose.

Currently they were planning on getting married in the summer; this summer. How the time had quickly passed.

Being queen was easy enough, she knew that being the eldest she would eventually take the throne. That was not her initial problem when she became queen. During her coronation ball, she gave away to everyone that she had magical powers. She could freeze anything with just a touch of her fingertip, make it snow wherever and whenever she wanted, and control ice and snow altogether. She even brought life to a snowman named Olaf from her childhood.

Everyone at the ball found out, when Anna came up to her and claimed she was getting married to a man she met just that night. In her fear and frustration, she unintentionally created a giant wall of ice spikes, after Anna grabbed her glove. She ran away to the North mountain, where she could start over and finally be who she was. She created a giant ice castle herself, changed her dress, and her entire look.

However Anna came after her, persuading her to come back and put an end to the eternal winter in Arendelle. Not knowing at the time how to fully control her powers, she accidentally struck her sister in the heart because of her fear. Sometime later, Prince Hans and some knights came after her to bring her back by force. The Duke of Weselton sent two of his men to assassinate her, but she stopped them just in time. During the assault she blacked out, and woke up in an Arendelle castle's prison cell.

She was able to escape in the nick of time to search for her sister, when she saw Hans. He fed her a lie that Anna had already died, because of being struck in the heart. In grief, she fell to the ground sobbing, which in turn stopped the storm but not the winter. Just as Hans was sneaking up behind to assassinate her, Anna came in between them becoming frozen solid, knocking Hans out. Realizing her sister died saving her life, she cried in her frozen arms. Then a miracle happened. Anna unthawed and became alive once again. Only an act of true love could reverse the curse, which Anna had done to save the sister she loved. That's when it hit her, love could undo the winter she had created. It was love that was the opposite of fear, her true enemy.

The kingdom fully accepted her once again as queen, after she proved to them that she could fully control her powers. She and Anna agreed to never live alone in isolation again, like they did their whole childhood. They would always keep the gates open, and welcome visitors. She no longer hid in her room anymore, in fact it was the opposite. She was always too busy to be in her room, and hurried around the castle taking care of duties. She even traveled to neighboring kingdoms to talk about trade. Finally she was living life not in isolation, and was surrounded by people who loved her.

But sometimes she would watch Anna and Kristoff together, and see how happy they were. Though she was not the type to get jealous, she often wished she could share an extra special connection with someone. Even after all the balls she and Anna held and went to, she never met anyone who caught her eye. Of course once in a while she danced with gentlemen who asked her to. But never did she experience that spark of romance. It was all very dull, and all men seemed the same to her. It saddened Elsa to know she probably had a very slim chance of finding someone. Many people accepted her, but were still a bit intimidated by her powers. She longed for someone who could keep up with her, who was her equal. But she had started to accept the fact that she would be alone, yet in a different way.

_The cold never bothered me anyway, _she joked to herself. However that was a half-truth. The physical coldness she loved. It was the loneliness of the cold, which hurt her inside.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She was sitting in her study room, where she kept all her papers, contracts, letters, agreements, and what not. Realizing she was slouching in her seat, she quickly sat up straight and fixed her hair, making sure she was at least presentable. The same time she heard herself say, "Come in," her three foot tall friend walked right into her office.

"Hi Elsa!" The snowman exclaimed with a big grin on his face, and waving his hand up in the air. By the voice, Elsa could immediately tell who it was.

"Oh Olaf, come in and sit with me," just being around the friendly snowman brought a smile to her face. She had made him for Anna as kids whenever they played, and pretended that he was real. Olaf was something that bonded the two young sisters, and created the happiest childhood memories. When Elsa ran away after her coronation, she tested the might of her powers on the north mountain, freeing all her pent up emotion and magic. Unknowingly, Elsa had made Olaf while creating her previous ice castle. But she had actually brought life into him, and infused the pretend personality she and Anna created for him.

Olaf grabbed the chair closest to her, and scooted in as close as he could get. "So what are you working on now huh?" Olaf said enthusiastically.

She chuckled. "Just the usual, paperwork, letters, making sure everything is in order," Elsa was cut off.

"What's that right there?"

"This is a letter to a neighboring kingdom west of here. I'm writing to thank them for their generosity and for welcoming our kingdom's representative. Being queen, I want to make sure I have good connections with all our people and neighbors as well."

"Does that include snow people too?"

"Yes it certainly does," Elsa gave the snowman a frosty hug.

Then she remembered. "Do you know where my sister is at right now?"

"I think she's over in the library reading with Kristoff. At least that's where she was an hour ago when I was admiring the lit candles."

Even still to today, Olaf did not understand that it was heat causes snow to melt. He was always sitting by the fire, inspecting the castle kitchen oven, or outside playing in the sun, but it never dawned on him once that it was heat which turned snow into liquid water. Like a child he was naïve in that way. But for his safety, Elsa created his own personal snow flurry. That way he could enjoy warmth without melting into a puddle. Whenever the snowman was around his creator Elsa, there was no fear of him melting, so having his flurry with her was optional.

"Do you think you could do me a favor?" She asked.

"Of course!" His mouth held agape with a smile.

"Could you find my sister and ask her to come see me? I have a question to ask her before I finish off this letter."

"Of course!" Olaf jumped off the chair and headed for the door, while Elsa created a new flurry over him.

As he opened the door, a messenger was just about to knock.

"Oh hi there, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" He held out his stick hand.

The startled messenger shook hands with the optimistic snowman, and proceeded to say, "Nice to meet you Olaf, my name is Niel. If you'll excuse me, I have something to deliver to the queen."

Olaf happily left the room, while Niel the messenger walked over to Elsa's desk. In his hand was a letter, and on the front was a red wax seal with a symbol of a bird.

"For you my queen. Another messenger from outside the castle rode up on his steed, and told me to relay this letter back to you. He said it was urgent, and that he would wait for a response letter. I invited our guest in to spend the night, to regain his strength for the trip back. The staff set up a guest room upstairs, and took his horse to the stalls to be groomed. By the appearance of his garb, he doesn't look like he's from around here. He told me that he didn't know what the contents of the message. Only that it was between you and the royal family of Aldyn."

"Thank you Niel, you did everything appropriately. I will look into it right now."

Niel quickly bowed, handing the surprisingly lightweight letter to her, and exited the room. Elsa was alone once more.

_Let's see what this letter is all about_, she thought to herself.

Inspecting the unfamiliar seal closer, it was blood red in color, and the bird had a handsome design to it. Pulling the letter opener out of the drawer, she slit the envelope on the top. A single paged letter fell out. She wondered why, if it was so urgent, it was only one page long.

It was addressed to her,_ To Her Majesty Queen Elsa of Arendelle_, and only her. The letter started by saying, _we are sending this letter out of hope and out of desperation… _She continued down. Dumbstruck by what she just read, Elsa read it through a second time, and then a third. Pausing for a good few minutes, she pondered over the letter she held in her hands.

Elsa grabbed a piece of paper from her drawer, dipped her pen in the black ink, and began to write. After a few tries of hashing out what she was going to write, the letter said this.

_To the Royal Family of Aldyn,_

_I have received your letter with amazement, and mixed emotions. This summer to celebrate my sister, Princess Anna of Arendelle, and her fiancé for their marriage, we are holding a ball. The whole royal family of Aldyn is invited to stay here in Arendelle for as long as needed. During your stay, we will then discuss the contents of your letter, and the situation that needs to be addressed. The marriage ceremony and ball will be taking place from July 20__th__ through the 22__nd__._

_I will have rooms prepared in the castle for your stay, and am awaiting your arrival to Arendelle._

_Sincerely_

_Queen Elsa of Arendelle_

Elsa finished by signing her name on the bottom, and sealing the letter with her stamp. She would give this letter to the messenger from Aldyn by this evening.

She sat in her chair for some time before Anna came in, to give Elsa advice she needed. She did not mention the contents of the letter to her sister. Because it was meant only for her, she could not tell Anna before consulting the King and Queen of Aldyn.

For the rest of the day, she could not get her mind off of the letter. After sending off the final letter to her guest for Anna's marriage ceremony, Elsa decided to get some fresh air outside. She grabbed a cloak for her ice dress she made the other day, and took a solitary walk out in the castle garden. Her favorite spot to think was at the bench by the roses. There she could find peace and quiet, and reflect on her thoughts. Another plus about it was that it smelled amazing.

Elsa sat down on the bench, and held a rose in her right hand. She allowed it to frost over, becoming a beautifully carved ice sculpture. She broke the flower off of the bush and held it in her hand, as she watched it slowly melt away.

_I am not alone anymore._


	2. Chapter 2 - Anticipation

Today was the day of the big summer ball Elsa had been planning for the past month. She had been up since seven in the morning, out of anticipation and just being a morning person. She let Anna sleep in, who snored soundly asleep and her hair a mess. Everyone in the castle seemed to be in an extra good mood that day, practically in sing song mode. There was not a cloud in the sky outside, and the sun shone bright through the window. Elsa opened the curtains of her room and the window completely, letting the warm air blow through. Though she was the queen of snow, she also loved the warmth of summer. In the air, she could smell a delicious waft from the castle kitchen below. The chefs on staff were working very hard that whole day, to accommodate for the party. All of Arendelle and kingdoms far and wide that she had connections with, were invited. In short, the castle was going to be a very packed place.

But it was not the ball that made Elsa so antsy. Since she returned to the throne, she and Anna held balls and dances in the castle for many occasions. They always kept the gates open except for at night, and then they would have guards posted. Even so, they never had to keep them locked. The castle had become a very entertaining place. What made tonight so different, was the letter she received two weeks ago.

The letter went something like this.

_To Her Majesty Queen Elsa of Arendelle, _

_We are sending this letter out of hope and out of desperation. Word has spread across far and wide that you have magical powers, being able to turn things into snow and ice in one touch. We have heard the story about how you unthawed the eternal winter, which you unintentionally set upon your kingdom. We have also heard that you are a very wise, strong, and powerful queen. That is why we are begging for your help._

_We have two children, a son and a daughter. When our son was born, he grew up normally like any other boy. But when our daughter was born afterwards, we noticed something was different about her. It started after she learned how to walk. We were in our castle library reading, and she was near us playing with her dolls. We looked away for a moment, and when we looked back at her, her doll was on fire. We quickly extinguished the fire, unsure where it came from. Everyone tried to figure it out, for the next few months. Maybe perhaps a sorcerer used some sort of magic to threaten us, or tried to assassinate our daughter. However, we were wrong. _

_When she was a few years older, our family was having dinner, only the four of us. We were talking to our two children, discussing what their lives and responsibilities would be like when they grew older. Our daughter became upset and then angry, and unintentionally set the table on fire. We were all stunned and scared, but then put together what had happened when she was a toddler. Immediately she was taken into the castle infirmary to be examined, but they claimed that nothing was wrong or unhealthy about her. We went to many healers and even a magician to see what was wrong, and if they could try to reverse her powerful curse. But no one knew how to help. _

_Now that she had become older, she's grown much more powerful. We have had to fireproof her whole room, and give her gloves cast with a subduing enchantment, instead of setting the castle on fire. It has been mostly controlled so far. But the older she gets, the more dangerous she becomes. No one else outside family and trusted ones knows of her power. However we are very concerned of her going out of control, and becoming dangerous to herself and others. _

_Then we heard stories about you Queen Elsa, how you stopped a great winter from freezing Arendelle. Although we have never sent a letter like this before, we are pleading, you for the sake of our daughter, to teach and help her control her wild powers. Please, help our daughter. _

_With Best Regards, _

_The Royal King and Queen of Aldyn_

There was someone out there with powers just like her. Never in her wildest dreams, did she think there was someone who shared similar magical powers. Despite what she thought earlier, she had to share this special news with somebody. Elsa knew who she would share it with.

"There you are Anna!"

The queen giggled. Her younger sister came around the corner riding a bicycle.

"Oh Elsa! Look I found, it's your old bike! I told you that you had one as well, somewhere," it was a little dusty, a little dirty, and a bit worn out from neglect.

"Where did you even find that thing?"

"In the attic! That's where Mom and Dad used to put away all our things from when we were kids."

"I didn't even know we had an attic."

"Of course this castle has one. I used to go up there all the time, it's quite peaceful up there. Mom and Dad never gave anything away that was sentimental to them or to us. They always stored it up there."

As long as Elsa could remember, her parents were always trying to conceal her and her power. She would have never thought of them being sentimental. Of course, she did not know them very well at all. Her parents never really talked to her about normal things, that parents usually tell their kids. They only wanted to talk about how to hide her powers better. They pretended like they knew her, and to a certain extent they did. Growing up they were the ones who knew her best, and that was not saying much. For sure she loved them, after all they were her parents. But they unknowingly damaged her more than they could understand. They taught her fear was the stronger force, and that having a healthy fear of herself would protect her. However, truthfully she was the stronger one.

"I had no idea they were sentimental about our things."

"Well I'm glad they loved you enough to save your old bike," Anna winked. "Now we can ride around together, hop on!"

There was only one seat on the bike, the one Anna was sitting on. "Um hop on where?"

"The handle bars silly!"

Elsa sat down on top of the handle bars, hoping her dress would not get caught in the wheels or gears.

"Now hold on, we're off," Anna started pedaling down the hallway.

Elsa was going to say to her sister she did not have time to goof off. But quickly forgot when realizing how much fun she was having with Anna. Then she remembered, she was going to tell Anna about the letter!

"Anna these past two weeks I've been really wanting to tell you something."

"I knew something was up, I could just tell! You can tell me anything Elsa, you know that," she said with a smile while still pedaling. "It must be pretty important then, if you were debating telling me for two weeks," she said jokingly.

"Yeah it's a pretty big deal, well, for me at least."

"Ooh is it a boy? Tell me, is he tall? Is he handsome?"

Of course that would be the first thing Anna would think of.

"No it's not about a boy!"

_Thank goodness for that. _

"I haven't met anyone, actually it's about a letter I received. It came from a kingdom called Aldyn."

"Oh darn. Well, I've never heard of them before."

"That's because they live farther west. They're not one of the kingdoms we do regular business with. The royal family is coming tonight for the ball, and staying here for a little while after."

"Did something happen with them?"

"No, this involves other personal matters. Because you're my sister, I wanted to tell you what was happening. I'm sure as long as it's between us, them, and people they trust, its fine to tell you."

"But Elsa, why are they staying here at the castle? You don't know who these people are, or what they're like. And why here, rather than any other kingdoms closer to them?"

Elsa was going to explain, but she turned her head around to see that Anna was heading towards the stairs.

"Anna!" The queen shouted. Her sister saw where they were heading for, but it was too late to swerve out of the way.

The bike bounced all the way down the giant stair case, and Elsa and Anna screamed at the poor castle staff below. "Get out of the way!"

For a moment they were stunned to see the queen and princess in such a ridiculous situation. But they realized if they did not move, they would get run over. Hurriedly they scrambled to the sides, and Elsa, Anna, and her old bicycle crashed on the floor.

"Your majesties, are you alright?" A couple men came over to help, but the sisters got right up, laughing hard.

"Thank you, but I think we are fine," Elsa said. "Did anyone get hurt?"

There was silence, but then one laugh broke out from the staff. The laughter spread and in moments, the whole room was in hysterics.

"Well I guess it's not every day you see the queen and the princess riding down the halls on a bike." The staff workers chuckled as they dispersed, and went back to their work.

"Your bike Elsa, it's crushed!" Indeed the old bike was twisted and the wheels were bent.

"That's ok, I'll get a new bike not meant for a kid, and then we can ride around outside sometime."

"That sounds great! But Elsa you never answered my question." Anna set the bike against the wall, and she and Elsa sat down on the stair steps.

"Why is Aldyn coming here, specifically here, when they have other places to go to?"

"Well, long story short it's about their daughter." Elsa took her sister's hands. "She's like me Anna. She has powers just like I do."

Anna gasped. "That's amazing! She's able to magically freeze things too?"

"Well, not quite."

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't freeze things… she burns things."

"You mean like fire? That sounds a little dangerous."

"It's only dangerous if you can't control it. Sure it's one thing to use my powers, it's another thing to get them to do what I want."

"So is Aldyn coming here then to get help, or advice from you?"

"They said their daughter's powers are growing out of control. They believe I can somehow help, since I have powers as well."

Elsa did not know how she felt about the tone of the letter. It reminded her of her deceased parents, who were afraid of her own ice magic. And that made her uncomfortable.

"But your powers are totally opposite! I mean, fire and ice? Those are the exact opposite of each other. How do you know you can help them?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I can do, what they want me to do. But there's somebody like me out there Anna. I'm not the only one, I'm not alone," Elsa said smiling.

"Oh Elsa," Anna hugged her. "You are the last thing from alone! I'm here for you, Kristoff is here for you, and so are Olaf and Sven. There are people who care about you. Your kingdom cares about you. But still, that's amazing! And she's coming to the ball tonight, I wonder what her powers look like. I wonder, should I start fireproofing things?"

"We'll be alright," Elsa laughed. "She's not going to burn the castle down, I'll make sure of that. But make sure you don't tell this to anyone else, until I get an ok from them. I want to make sure I respect their privacy, as well as not give something for Arendelle to gossip about."

"But I can tell Kristoff right?"

Elsa thought for a moment. "I guess it's alright to tell Kristoff. After all, he will be part of the family soon. But nobody else, at least for now."

"You can count on me," Anna did a quirky salute.

"I know I can trust you Anna," Elsa said with a big smile. "Now speaking of other important matters, are you going to show me the dress you're wearing tonight?"


	3. Chapter 3 - Meet the Parents

Elsa was outside walking through the garden. That morning she had been learning how to ride horses with Anna, as her teacher. Being isolated for so long growing up, she never got the chance to learn how. Horses, the queen realized, were much larger than she imagined. But after an hour or so, she had gotten the hang of it. Nothing smaller than Marshmallow could intimidate her.

Marshmallow was another snowman she had created, along with Olaf. The difference between the two snowmen was that Olaf was created from love and memories, while Marshmallow was created from the desire to be alone. However since Elsa came over her fear, Marshmallow's temper seemed to come around as well. He became very gentle and thoughtful actually, though he liked to be by himself most of the time. Olaf had coined the name Marshmallow originally, to make fun of the big giant initially. However as time passed, the name suited his personality. Elsa visited the giant on some occasions, making sure he wasn't neglected. But every single time she checked up on him living on the North Mountain, he was perfectly happy. It made sense, being it was his natural desire to be alone.

And she was also alone, walking off her anxiety. Today was the day of the ball! Never in her life had she ever been excited for a ball, but tonight was different. It was the day she would meet somebody just like her. Of course, according to the king and queen of Aldyn, they would be meeting on desperate circumstances. But her happiness overtook the negativity of the situation. Anna of course, always was excited for these kind of things. Especially tonight's party, as it was to celebrate her and Kristoff's wedding. In just a few days she would be wedded him.

Lately her sister had been going through ups and downs. Her moods would suddenly swing in an instant, one second she would be happy and the next uptight. It was probably due to pent up nerves. The queen could not relate to what her sister was feeling. Still, Elsa had tried asking her about it, but Anna just brushed it off. She was not the type to pressure her to talk about anything. Where Anna was acting a bit jumpy those days, Kristoff was acting like any normal man before his own wedding. A little goofier, a little clumsier, a little more distracted. He was a good man, especially for Anna. Elsa definitely respected him also for waiting to propose, unlike Anna's last "fiancé" Hans. Many men would have desired her sister's hand for the same reasons Hans did; power, wealth, control, a whole kingdom. But Kristoff could take or leave that sort of thing. It was not what he cared about most. He was also a hard worker, and if anything did ever happen to Elsa, she could trust both him and Anna to take care of the kingdom.

She saw the regular duck couple swimming down the stream, followed by their baby ducklings. Even the ducks had someone special. But not her. However the ducklings were cute to watch, and made Elsa smile. Then she heard a bell ring.

Was it already noon? She looked down at her riding dress she was wearing from earlier. Elsa realized needed to go back to the castle fast to change, and look presentable for the arriving guests. The queen had already made ready rooms in the guest hallway, and made sure everything was in order. At a brisk pace, Elsa hurried back to the castle.

When the queen got back, she was bombarded with staff asking for advice. Which decorations looked the best around the ballroom, were the cake toppings appropriate, what time they should open the doors to the castle, and so on. They worked very efficiently and quickly. Once she had answered every question, she left for her room upstairs to change.

The grandfather clock said it was about 1 PM. Looking out her window, there were a few people outside socializing amongst themselves. A warm breeze came in the colder room. Elsa walked over to her wardrobe, and opened its doors. She pulled out one of her light blue ice dresses. She did not wear it all the time, only on more special and formal occasions. It was designed with northern Arendelle prints around the collar, and the sleeves. To her the dress itself was special. It was a symbol of freedom and accepting herself. Whenever Elsa wore it, she felt like she was representing her true self along with those things. She changed out of her casual outfit, and into the blue gown. She fixed her hair into a side braid, her favorite hairstyle she always sported, and looked into the full length mirror.

There stood a queen, who was feared and consumed by fear, but came out strong. She was afraid to love her sister, but in the end it was her sister Anna who taught her how to love. Her powers were wild, and unsafe, but then she learned how to fully control them. Elsa hoped she could help the princess of Aldyn the same way, and be someone for her to lean on. The person Elsa herself needed when growing up.

A knock at the door, and then a familiar voice.

"Hey Elsa, can I come in?" It was Anna.

"Of course, I'm just getting ready for tonight."

Anna walked into Elsa's room, and saw her sister turn around.

"Wow, you look so gorgeous!"

"Thank you, but I think you take the cake for this one."

"I hope its white cake!"

"It is, with raspberry filling inside!"

Both of the girls savored the thought of all the good food and sweets to eat. But Elsa meant it, Anna looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a lavender gown, with lace on the sleeves. Around her neck was a white and delicate pearl necklace. In her up do, she somehow incorporated small silver chains into her braids.

"I wanted to give you something for tonight," Anna said. "While in the attic looking for your bike, I found a box of mom's special jewelry. There was a pretty silver diamond necklace I found, and thought it would look pretty on you."

Anna took out from her pocket a very stunning necklace, with little diamonds surrounding a bigger diamond center. The center diamond was roughly five centimeters wide, ten centimeters tall and had a teardrop cut. It looked like it was a very valuable necklace. Elsa took it from Anna's hand, and clasped it on around her neck.

"I know that you and Mom were not very close, but she did us, especially you. She worried about you a lot, but not in a-," Anna was cut off.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me. If Mom and Dad were still alive, I know they would have been proud of us today."

The two sisters hugged each other tightly. Though their parents were not around anymore, especially during this time in Anna's life, they still had each other. They were sisters, and Kristoff would soon become another member of their family.

"And I also wanted to give you this."

"Wow, you are sure giving me a lot of presents today Anna. I should be the one giving you the gifts!"

"No it's actually not a gift, it belongs to you. The other day when Kristoff was coming back from delivering ice, he ran into Marshmallow near the North Mountain. Apparently Marshmallow was coming all the way down to the castle, because he found this."

It was Elsa's tiara that she had thrown away, right after running away to the North Mountain herself. She did so, never thinking she would come back to Arendelle. After her return to the throne, she had slowly regretted losing the royal heirloom which was passed down for centuries. But now by a stroke of luck, or fate, it was found.

"Think that was the same snowman that kicked me and Kristoff out of your old castle. He's not a meanie, he's actually a big sweetheart. Who knew he was so thoughtful, he must really care about you."

"I don't know what to say, I never thought I would see it again. I thought it was long gone."

"Well, you have Marshmallow and Kristoff to thank!" Anna put the old tiara on top of the queen's head.

"Now look in the mirror."

Elsa looked again into the full body mirror, this time with the necklace and crown. The tiara that she had discarded in the past, somehow completed her. It was like she fully became queen again at that very moment.

"You look like a true queen."

"I'll never be the queen to you, I'll always be just your sister."

"Alright with the heartfelt comments!" Her sister laughed. "Snow Queen of Arendelle, with the crown on your head, you look gracious and strong and fair." Anna did a little dance with some dramatic hand motions.

"Confident and bright, though cold just a slight -,"

"Oh Anna."

"Your beauty and compassion is rare." She twirled the queen around in a dance, as if the ball had already begun.

Before they knew it another hour and a half had passed by, while Anna was teaching her sister how to dance. Elsa was not much of a dancer. She mostly, if not all the time, declined dancing with anyone. To the men she turned down, she told a white lie that she did not have the best footing. But by the next time she checked the clock, Elsa had gotten the hang of a few basic steps.

A guard knocked on Elsa's door, and both of the girls stood up straight and smoothed out their dresses.

"My Queen, Aldyn is here, and we have shown them to the guest rooms."

_Goodness why could they have not let me know sooner_, Elsa thought. Instead she said, "Thank you, I will be down there at once." Elsa turned to her sister. "Come on Anna, let's go meet our guests."

Elsa's stomach was a bunch of nerves, but did not show it while walking down the stairs. She held her head high and was determined to look as queen-like as she possibly could, despite her inner excitement. The two girls came to the guest hall, and the sentry guard motioned to the first few rooms.

_This was it._

She raised her hand to knock, but paused.

_This was it. Just knock already._

Elsa turned to Anna, who gave her a half smile saying she knew what she was thinking. The queen knocked. After a few moments, the door opened.

There stood a man in a royal suit with a crown on his head. He was fair skinned, had a great beard, and stood at least six foot. This man had to be the king.

"Hello, you must be King…"

"Viktor," The king said gesturing to shake hands with the two sisters. "Viktor, king of Aldyn. And you must be Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

"Indeed I am, you can just call me Elsa. And this is my sister Anna."

"Honey who's at the door?" Another voice was heard from inside the room.

"The Queen and Princess of Arendelle!"

A woman wearing a crown on her head joined the king, her husband. "Forgive me, I was just unpacking a few dresses. I'm Viktor's wife Charlotte. Pleasure to meet you both."

The queen of Aldyn shook Elsa and Anna's hands one at a time, and made eye contact with them both. Elsa picked up right off the bat that Viktor's wife was a very social person.

"And you as well. Did you travel safely?"

"Oh yes," said the queen. "It's summer of course, so there was no snow in the passes. The mountains around Arendelle are so lovely. It was a very scenic trip, wasn't it?" She nudged her husband's arm.

The king grunted, "Quite so indeed. We encountered no bandits or thieves, which made the trip much faster. On the outskirts of our kingdom, there have been rising occurrences of thievery."

"Oh Viktor! That's all you've been thinking of these days is crime, and to bring it up now…," Charlotte turned to Elsa. "Please forgive my husband, he's been very wrapped up in many affairs lately."

"No forgiveness needed," said Anna smiling. "It's not easy work ruling an entire kingdom. I see that from Elsa first hand!"

That was true. It seemed like all the time when Elsa was working, Anna wanted to spend time with her older sister. The younger girl was someone who liked being entertained, and not being bored. So she would not have to shoo her away, Elsa let Anna help with her queen duties around the castle.

"Well, you both are very kind for letting us stay here for a few days," Charlotte replied.

"Only a few days?" Elsa said a bit confused.

"Yes, sorry we did not let you know sooner. There have been extra matters needed to be taken care of lately, so Viktor and I will be leaving after your celebration Anna. Our son is not here with us, rather he chose to stay behind to watch over Aldyn. He is the next successor after all. Our daughter is staying in the room across from ours. Right now she is refusing to come out of her room, that stubborn girl. She should at least show respect and say hi, after all the effort we've put in for her."

"Oh no it's quite alright," said Elsa. "You just arrived here from a very long trip, and are all probably exhausted. Please, make yourselves at home here."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, we certainly appreciate it especially in these circumstances," said the king.

The four of them said a few more words back and forth, before Elsa and Anna left the king and queen to rest up before the party.

As Anna and Elsa were walking back upstairs, out of anyone's earshot, Anna said to Elsa, "The queen seemed kind of like a nag, don't you think?"

"Anna! That is not how we should speak about our guests," there was shock, but a tone of sarcasm in her voice. The queen of Aldyn did seem like she overpowered her husband in conversation, and a bit of a badger towards her daughter. They did not even introduce them their daughter's name, who was the whole reason of them staying at the castle. The king and queen did not seem like rude rude people, though maybe just a bit distracted and tired.

"Hey I'm going to go and check on Kristoff," Anna said all of a sudden. "I just remembered, I was going to bring over his jacket for tonight. But then I got distracted giving you the necklace and having fun. Whoops!"

Elsa laughed. "You better hurry then!"

"I'll see you later tonight Elsa!"

"See you later! And meet me in the main hall this evening!" Anna was already down the hall when she waved at her sister.

To her disappointment, she had not met this princess, the girl who could control heat and flame. But it was still tonight, she would finally meet the girl similar to her.


	4. Chapter 4 - Princess of Aldyn

So like I said in the description, the story is rated T just to be safe. I mention alcohol in this chapter, and in later chapters it will get a little dark.

As much as I want to ship Elsa and this new character hardcore, I also want to write a sequel for Frozen, which would be the same rating as the actual movie.

Although that doesn't exclude the possibility of one shots between them. Or frick-fracking. We'll see.

Thanks for reading so far, I'm totally open for comments or criticism.

All throughout the ballroom, courtyard, and main hall, it was extremely crowded. The first guests came earlier than expected, and brought gifts for Anna and Kristoff. A table was set aside for cards and gifts. One by one, the three of them made sure they welcomed each and every person. Outside in the courtyard, Elsa made ice sculptures from the water flowing out of the fountains. They were carved into beautiful swans that faced each other. She also froze a layer of ice around the pillars, carving her own design, and made walls of "stained glass" between some of them. It didn't take her that long at all, really it only took seconds. She just had to have a general idea of what she wanted the place to look like in her head. Elsa's powers were becoming a little stronger every day, just like the trolls told her when she was a child.

Elsa was disappointed the king and queen of Aldyn did not introduce their daughter earlier. She really had no clue about what this girl was like, except the princess did not want to come out and say hi. Still that was not a good reason to assume anything about her.

Scenarios started playing in Elsa's mind. What if the girl's powers were too out of control, and could not be tamed? What would happen then? What would she do?

Although, it could go the other way around, and everything could work itself out. Regardless, Elsa decided she would hold her judgment on the situation. Until she knew fully what the "problem" was with the princess' magic at least.

She shook hands with the king of the Southern Isles, and his eldest son, who was next in line for the throne. He was in fact the brother to Hans, the first man Anna got engaged to. Though Hans did not turn out to be the nicest guy ever, the rest of the family was very apologetic and sincere. Elsa did not want to break off her connection with them, as they tried hard to make amends and apologized profusely. They sent her a gift, which she accepted, and replied with a letter that everything was forgiven.

The eldest son, Kurt, was a gentleman. Very serious, he always stood up straight. He looked much like his younger brother, except taller, broader, and had a full beard. His whole family shared the same honest blue eyes that Hans had. He was just as big as his father, and just as charming as his brother.

However, he did not interest Elsa. He was very good looking, but nothing about him captivated her. She definitely noticed he was eyeing her, and giving her a little extra attention while talking. But she went on, treating him as every other honored guest. She did not want to lead him on, for it would not work out.

_Not that it couldn't necessarily… _

But Elsa just wasn't attracted.

She noticed Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene, from the Kingdom of Corona, off in the distance. They lived more south, where it was warmer than Arendelle. She managed to catch their eye and wave at them.

In her head she noted that all the guests that Anna especially wanted were there. It was her choice to invite Hans' family, though not all of them could come. She saw Anna and Kristoff laughing together with an older couple. It looked like they were thoroughly enjoying their time. Elsa was glad, they deserved to be happy.

She was not as naturally social as Anna. That was something her sister was better at. After a while, big crowds made her tired. Elsa decided grab a drink and find somewhere to sit down.

Over by the table of food, the waiter served her a glass of fine champagne. It was just what she needed, after a busy day constantly on her feet, she needed to sit down and unwind. The queen walked into the ballroom, where many couples were dancing and socializing. Closer to the wall there were fine velvet chairs to sit down on. She took a seat, and noticed a girl sitting not too far away. Like herself, she also had a glass of champagne in her hand.

She wore a simple forest green off-shoulder gown, which went down a few inches above her ankles, along with black flats. The only jewelry she wore were pearl earrings with diamonds in the middle, and a pearl necklace. Her hair was long, light ash brown, and had hint of red to it from the indoor lighting. The girl's skin was fair, and her eyes were blue. She looked like she was just about her age, though maybe a little smaller in size.

But there were two things about her that Elsa noticed especially. One being the look on her face. It was obvious to see the girl felt out of place just being there. The second, and more recognizable, was that she was wearing short black gloves. Of course, gloves were not uncommon or necessarily unfashionable. She saw many other women wearing gloves around that night. But the girl's gloves did not look like they were made of silk, but were made from a thicker material. When Elsa was growing up, she always had to wear gloves made from a thicker material.

Elsa had the urge to talk to the girl. But for some reason she just could not make herself. It was not like anything was physically holding her back, but it just made her anxious. Maybe it was the champagne. Or maybe it was because this girl reminded the queen of her sad past.

_Just go up to her._

Whatever the reason was, she disregarded it. It was her role as queen to make sure everyone was having a decent time. After a few minutes of getting over herself and a few more sips of her drink, she went over and spoke up.

"Hello there," she said with a smile.

The girl gave the queen a closed mouth smile and waved, as she took a sip of her own drink.

_Well that was awkward_, Elsa thought to herself. But that did not stop her from trying to make conversation.

"What's your name?" Elsa scooted closer to shake hands and be polite.

"Tanya," the girl gave a one worded answer.

"How do you like the party so far?"

"It's alright. I don't really know anybody here."

"Did you come with anybody?"

"I came with my parents."

"Where is your family from?"

"You sure have a lot of questions for me, don't you," Tanya seemed slightly annoyed. "If you must know everything about me, I'm not from here, otherwise I'd know somebody. I have no idea where my parents went. My father is probably talking about the current politics that he's so obsessed about. My mother is probably drunk and gossiping with people she doesn't even know. But I don't really care, I'm not some little kid that needs to be watched over. Does that answer all your questions?"

"I…" the queen was speechless. Elsa had never had anyone talk that upfront to her before. She did not know how to respond. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you." Elsa got up to move away before she embarrassed herself even further.

Taking notice that she hurt Elsa, the girl's face softened. She grabbed the queen's arm to get her attention.

"No, I'm sorry. It's been a long day."

"Hasn't it for all of us."

"Very true. That and I'm not as springy as half the people here," Tanya chuckled.

Elsa went back down and sat beside the girl. "You should meet my sister then, she definitely loves to talk. Her energy definitely comes from being around people, and thrives during parties like tonight."

"Your sister sounds very nice."

"She's the only family I have. It's hard for me to believe Anna's getting married in just a few days."

It took Tanya a few moments to realize who she was speaking to.

"Wait. The princess is your sister so… you're the queen of Arendelle? I'm so sorry, I had no idea-"

"Just call me Elsa," the queen cut her off. "And you don't need to apologize. I probably would have annoyed myself with all the questions I was asking." They both chuckled, and then looked at each other in the eyes.

_Her eyes are as blue as a storm._

A violinists started off playing a new song, and the rest of the string instruments came in. It was a slower song, and the men and women dancing dispersed from the dance floor.

"This song, I've heard it before somewhere," Tanya said. "I just can't quite remember where."

"It's one of my favorite pieces actually. I have to say though, it sounds much better on piano."

"You have a piano here?" Tanya piped up?

"Yes it's in the library upstairs, it's quite old but still in tune. Would you like to go upstairs and play it?"

"Oh I don't know how. I've always thought it was beautiful though, and have always wanted to learn."

"Well since we are here, why don't I play for you?"

"You can play?" Her eyes grew big like a child's.

"Here, why don't I show you?" Elsa said warmly.

They made their way up to Arendelle's great library, vast with a sea of books. Some were placed so high up, that they may not have ever been touched, besides when they were shelved up there. There was a large fireplace and a mantle, along with some cozy chairs and couches. The whole room had a warm atmosphere to it. Towards the side of the room, there was a grand piano in all black. It looked very old, just as the queen said. Elsa lit the fire and candles to make her guest more comfortable, and the light gave the piano a gloss, which flickered whenever the flames did.

Elsa went over to the piano and sat down to the bench. She saw Tanya still standing, watching the queen, not really sure what to do with herself.

The queen saw this, so she scooted to the side of the bench to make room.

"You can sit with me while I play."

Tanya just nodded and quietly sat down right against Elsa's side.

"Now it's been a year since I picked up piano again, so my playing may not be as good," the sheet music said Clair de Lune on the top.

Elsa started off slow and delicately. Her fingers slowly remembered again which keys to press, and when to use the pedal. It came back to her, like her memories from the past. Every sad feeling she had ever felt, the silent anger of her power when it swelled inside her, the fear she had dealt with her whole life. But most of all, the music reminded her of nighttime and the winter. Of snowflakes that fall to the ground, and the formation of icicles. She could feel her emotions pouring out into the music.

When the music started to pick up, she heard Tanya whisper, "So beautiful."

The queen kept on playing. She loved the plinking of the keys, and how they felt under her fingertips. Elsa was not musically gifted, though she did have a voice. However it was something that gave her simple pleasure as a fun pastime.

When the song ended and her fingers stopped, she looked over at Tanya, who had tears in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" She took out her handkerchief and wiped the tears from her eyes. "There, what's the matter?"

"I feel so silly, tearing up like this. I remember now. That was the last song I ever heard my father play on the piano. When I was little, I would watch him play just like I did now. But he gave it up. Like everything else."

Once more Elsa found herself not knowing how to respond. This was happening tonight more than she liked.

Tanya got up off the seat. "Including me. Same goes with my mother."

_You have to say something, anything. Make her feel better._

"Now listen, you're parents do care. They're your parents."

"No they don't. You don't know them, and you don't know me."

_Who was this girl,_ Elsa thought. She sounded very sad.

"Maybe that's true," the queen responded. "Maybe I don't know you. But maybe, just like how they don't know you, you don't know them either." Elsa realized that just maybe that was not the right thing to say.

Tanya looked hurt, as if the hard cold truth was told to her. "I… I… I'm sorry again Queen Elsa, thank you for showing me around the castle, and playing piano for me, but I have to go."

Elsa did not want the girl to go, not on this bad note. And she needed to apologize for what she blurted out.

"Wait Tanya!" She followed the girl, and grabbed hold of her arm.

"Let me go, please!" Tanya looked frightened. Just then, a glow emanated from her hand. In less than a second a flame burst out, and she aimed it towards the fireplace. Elsa let go.

There was a look of fear in Tanya's eyes, the same fear that Elsa knew all too well. "Please," the girl said as she held her hand and slowly backed away.

Elsa did not try to stop her from running out the door.

Tanya. She was the Princess of Aldyn.

Did she really know what she was getting into?


	5. Chapter 5 - Regret

Elsa lost Tanya downstairs, trying to find her in the crowd of people. She felt awful, and yet she did not know what to feel. She did not even know why she was feeling these things. But one thing was sure, she was going to set things right. After all, Tanya was going to be staying there for a while.

"Queen Elsa," the king of Aldyn said as he and his wife approached her from behind.

A startled Elsa spun around, as if she had just woken up.

"Can we speak to you in private?" They looked worried.

"Of course, let us go to my study." She assumed they wanted to talk about what just happened with their daughter.

_Oh no, it was going to be about Tanya._

_Something happened to her. Or maybe I messed everything up. _

Why did she have to approach the girl in the first place? It's not like the girl wanted to talk to her, but Elsa just had to be persistent. The first time she felt confident enough to approach someone who intrigued her, she ruined everything. She should have known by the gloves, or by the look of anxiety she recognized too well. Images of fear in the younger girl's eyes, when the queen of Arendelle discovered her magic, flashed through her mind. In that moment, Elsa saw in Tanya the same person she was for the last seventeen years. And deep down it scared her.

But she did not show it. She refused to pour her emotions out on her sleeve. Elsa was thankful she was good at concealing her thoughts in times like this. At least she thought so. Once again, Elsa left the party and took the royal couple to her study a few doors down. She brought two chairs over to her desk, and the three of them sat down.

"Is everything alright?" Elsa said concerned.

"We have just gotten message that our kingdom has fallen under attack. Our eldest son Anton is doing all he can to preserve Aldyn. He has yet to strike back in fear of starting a war. He's an adult now and can take care of himself, but refuses to make a decision without us present. Charlotte and I need to go back to resolve this conflict."

"I'm very sorry. This is very unfortunate, for all of us," Elsa replied in a queen-like tone. On one hand she was relieved it was not about her or Tanya at all. On the other hand, she did not wish for the king and queen to be this stressed.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Elsa was not necessarily going to give in to anything they wished, but if she could help in at least the smallest way, she would.

"That's another reason why we wanted to speak to you. We wish to ask of you one more favor Elsa." The king took his wife's hands as he spoke. "Will you please, watch over our Tanya for us? Can you still teach her how to control the magic inside of her?" The king looked anxious.

Did Elsa know what she was getting into? Maybe not. But it was the fact that she was so intrigued at the unknown, which led her to say, "I will," and added, "Have you talked to her about your plans?"

The queen Charlotte nodded, "We will talk to her before we leave. She is old and mature enough to understand." The royal couple looked relieved. "We are in your debt your majesty. Because of the urgency of the message, we will be leaving in the next couple hours."

"That soon?" Elsa was surprised. How could people have that much energy to travel? Was it even safe?

"You just arrived here, shouldn't you rest first before traveling all the way back? You are more than welcome to stay the night."

"I'm afraid we can't. The assault on Aldyn was very severe, and our son needs us at once."

"Our guards have already started packing and preparing our horses," Charlotte added. "We can make it back in about a week, if we travel fast and take few breaks. That's enough time for Anton to hold the kingdom together in the state it is in."

Their look of worry was blatantly seen in both of their eyes. They could not be making this up. It clearly was more important and severe than they wanted to express. Elsa knew that if she were in their shoes, she would want to race back to Aldyn as well. It was all happening so fast. Her hopes of meeting the girl with magic like her, Anna's wedding ball, giving away her younger sister to a man, and now Aldyn's sudden departure. She was just trying to process everything one thing at a time.

"Well, I definitely won't hold you back from leaving. Are there any provisions I can provide you with for your travel?"

"Oh no, we are quite alright, we have everything we need. We saw to that we were prepared before we left. We are so sorry to take you away from your sister's party, there is probably so much you need to attend at once."

"It's really no problem at all," Elsa said though she was a bit overwhelmed. She continued to say, "If you decide to change your mind you are still welcome here. Before you and your men take off, I will meet you in the courtyard in the next hour."

Later that night most of the party had died off, though guests were still hanging around and talking to each other. However, many of them had retired for the night due to too many chocolates, and a little too much wine. Once Elsa got herself together and regained composure, she spoke with a few other gentlemen that wanted her attention.

Even Kurt came up to Elsa to strike conversation again. Though he was very charming, the queen did not try to lead him on. At least that is what she assumed he was doing, now that the alcohol had made his motives a little clearer. He definitely tried to grab and hold her hand, and asked twice to dance. Elsa made sure that when she turned him down, she would do it very respectfully.

Again, it was not like anything was wrong with Kurt in particular. And though he and Hans were brothers, she did not hold him accountable for his brother's actions. He did seem like a gentleman. But Elsa just was not interested, no matter how much she wanted to be. And she was not the type to lead anybody on, when she did not mean it. Nothing ever progressed much further than small talk acquaintances. And that was the way Elsa wanted it to stay.

Elsa's mind though for the rest of the night was still on Tanya. The first moments of seeing the girl sitting all by herself, remembering the beauty in her face as she played the piano, as well as the panic in her face as she ran out the door.

While talking to people she found herself glancing around the room, to try to catch a sight of the girl again. She felt more restless, much more than usual at least. But it got so distracting, she had to excuse herself once again to think in somewhere private.

In an empty hallway, Elsa paced back and forth with her hands on her head. A few lights were lit, though it was mostly dark. Perfect for this time in need of solitude. Her mind was racing all at once.

_Ok Elsa get a grip now. I don't even know what this feeling is, or why I'm feeling it at all. But as queen I have to be a good representative of Arendelle tonight. You can't let your emotions get in the way of your sister's big night. _

_She needs you there. This is not your night._

Once she got herself somewhat together, she came back out. Elsa made herself appear like if she just needed to go take care of something important.

From the courtyard, the stars glittered in the sky. They were exceptionally bright for that night. If you really thought about it, there wasn't much difference between stars and snowflakes. Both of them sparkled in the sky. There were endless stars and snowflakes to count, and each one had its unique design. And Elsa was a creator of snow and ice. She wondered if there was a creator for stars as well.

Maybe in her imagination.

The queen melted the ice rink on the ground, so her guests would not slip and fall. She had to remember though gliding on ice was as natural to her as walking, it was not so for other people. The ice sculptures in the fountains still kept their frozen form, as well as the ice structures around the walls.

She was standing with her sister Anna and Kristoff, as they conversed with Rapunzel and Eugene from the kingdom of Corona. They were talking about their latest adventure, which just so happened to be their honeymoon.

"At least Eugene and Max weren't fighting each other as usual during the trip," Rapunzel said sarcastically.

"Hey, we don't fight! We just don't agree all the time," Eugene said jokingly and shrugged.

Elsa saw the king and queen on their white horses, approach the front of the gate.

The three of them wrapped up their conversation with the couple from Corona, and headed to meet their departing guests. Viktor and Charlotte were accompanied by only a few other men.

"Thank you Anna for the lovely night, again we are so very sorry for leaving early," the queen Charlotte spoke.

"It's no worries, at all! We're glad to have you here!"

"Well, we wish you and your husband the best and a happy marriage. And thank you Elsa for watching over our daughter," she said a little more quietly.

"She was in her room when we said goodbye to her, she refused to come out."

"I'll help in whatever way I can," Elsa said in a matter of fact way. "We wish you a safe and swift journey back."

"We won't forget your hospitality or your help," King Viktor said. "Now we must be off," he jerked his rope to motion the horses it was time to take off.

The small band rode off away from the castle, and out of Arendelle heading west, until they were out of sight.

Anna touched Elsa's arm. "Is Tanya really staying with us? And why did they leave so soon?"

"Their kingdom is under conflict, so they need to get back to assist their son. They told me only two hours ago."

"It must have been pretty bad," said Kristoff.

"I wonder how Tanya feels about this," Anna said sympathetically. She was such a caring person.

"She wasn't even here when her parents left. Elsa, I think you should go talk to her."

"I tried to earlier, but she didn't seem like she was in the mood for talking." It was partially true. More than likely, she was the last person Tanya wanted to talk to. But Elsa did not want to have to explain everything that happened between them to Anna.

"You should still try again. She probably would listen to you since you both have something in common," and by 'something,' Elsa knew that Anna meant their magic. But Anna had promised her sister she would not mention the girl's powers to anyone else. That included Kristoff. At least for the time being.

Elsa sighed. "I suppose you're right, I should go and check up on her."

"You have to talk to her eventually after all. She is staying here in the castle."

"How long will she be here?" Kristoff asked the queen.

"I don't know. The king and queen never specified how long they would be away."

He frowned. "You should have asked them beforehand."

"I just wanted to help, they looked very troubled when I spoke to them."

"You should have still gotten all the details."

"Hey," Anna piped up. "There's not much we can do now, obviously since the king and queen just rode off. But what we can do is make Tanya feel at home here. Before you know it, she won't want to leave!"

But little did Anna know, she spoke too soon. Because when Elsa had gone back in the castle and upstairs to check on the girl, she was gone.


	6. Chapter 6 - Gone

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

Anna took Elsa's hands. "Where could she be?"

"Well she is certainly not in her room, and nowhere in the castle." It was late in the night, the party was over, and the castle staff was cleaning up from the busy night. Elsa had searched high and low for Tanya, but she had definitely disappeared.

"I checked high and low, and so did the staff. She's run away."

Elsa tried to keep it together. It was about what happened earlier in the library, she just knew it. Tanya probably had never shown her powers like that to anyone before, and she just did so to the queen of Arendelle. She probably was scared of being in trouble for her magic, and so she ran away. But Elsa kept this thought to herself.

Kristoff came running into the main hall, meeting the two sisters. "I just checked downstairs," he puffed. "There's no sign of her."

"What are we going to do Elsa?" Anna asked.

The queen opened her mouth to speak. But before she did, two guards hurried into the room. "My queen, we just heard that a girl had been sighted heading west in the mountains. We can send a team of men to go find her."

"No." Anna, Kristoff, and the guards looked at the queen all at once.

"I'll go alone."

"But your majesty, it's dangerous at this time of night. Wild beasts and bandits have also been spotted roaming the western mountain range," said the captain of the guard.

"There will always be wild animals and thieves. But with my powers, I'm more of a danger to them."

It was true. Over the past year, Elsa had been working on using her magic for self-defense. She would go out into the forest in the morning to practice, and hired instructors to teach her the basics. The queen had become much stronger and capable at protecting herself.

"I don't fear what's out there, but I need to do this alone. If I ordered guards to go and find her, our guests staying here will get the idea that something is wrong. It wouldn't be wise to send the wrong message."

"Elsa," Anna took her sisters arm. "You've always done things alone, let me and Kristoff help you. Let the guards go with you."

"You and Kristoff need to stay here and watch after the castle. I am confident enough in my powers that I won't get hurt."

"Please…" Anna's words trailed off as a tear formed in her eye. She did not want her sister to leave again.

"I need you here Anna," Elsa gave her sister a hug. "I'll be back before you know it."

Elsa turned around to the guards. "Prepare my horse, I'm leaving at once!"

They moved fast, saddling her chestnut steed and arranging provisions for what the queen might need. Elsa changed out of her ice dress, and put on a light blue riding dress and royal blue cloak. She climbed up on her horse, which trusted her completely.

They were outside, and everyone looked up at the queen. A confident glow shone in Elsa face.

"If I am not back within a day, send men to go look for me."

The captain of the guard bowed and said, "At your command."

"Anna, stay strong for me."

Elsa looked over at Kristoff. "Make sure she doesn't do anything rash." Anna's fiancé gave a small smirk. She announced in a confident and queen-like voice, "I put my sister Anna and Kristoff in charge."

And just like that Elsa galloped off, without taking a second glance to see her family waving.

* * *

Elsa had rode west down the fjord for the next few hours, until she was too exhausted to stay awake. Near the bank she got off her horse, and stroked her steed's head.

"I think we both need a break now," she said gently to her horse.

The horse made a relieving grunt as the saddle was taken off his back. He plopped down to the ground to rest his legs.

The queen sat on the fallen mossy log near her companion, and ate the left over snack that was in her saddle bag from riding before. If only she had prepared instead of immediately taking off. Her actions back at the castle were pretty impulsive for her. It even took Anna, who was a very impulsive and spontaneous person, off guard to see her sister act unlike herself. Elsa could not exactly explain the reason why she acted in that manner. It threw her off too.

She thought of Tanya again, this time watching her play piano, the gaze of her eyes watching her fingers move gracefully along the keys. Elsa was very aware of her surroundings and details, and when people were watching her. Especially when she felt somebody else's eyes on her. Her gaze was different than when Anna watched her sister play.

Elsa had taught Anna how to play basic songs on the piano, when she sparked interest in learning. But it was not about learning for Tanya. It was something else. The feel of her body pressed right next to the queen's, so they could both fit on the bench. The natural warmth, which came from Tanya's fiery magic, against Elsa's own cold. It was a new sensational feeling that intrigued the queen.

Though it was getting very chilly especially being near the water, it did not bother Elsa much. She wished however she was able to make a fire, at least for her horse.

Then it occurred to Elsa.

_A fire, of course._

It was cold enough where Tanya might want to make a fire to keep warm. If she was anything like herself, her magical effects would react the opposite to hers. She would be a little more sensitive to the cold, like how Elsa was more sensitive to heat. Not that the heat bothered her, but it was not the kind of temperature she preferred.

Elsa went to an opening next to the bank of the fjord, and scouted out if she could see signs of smoke. Since it was darker, it would be harder to really see anything farther away.

Then just a little farther to the west, she saw a small puff of smoke rise from the trees.

Her intuition was right after all.

She walked back to her steed and grabbed the saddle. Her horse looked up at her tiredly.

"I'm sorry," Elsa coxed her horse. "We only have to walk just a little ways."

The flame from the fire grew brighter and brighter between the trees. It was not hard for Elsa to follow the glow.

She imagined what she was going to say to Tanya, and how she would try to convince her to stay at the castle. Would she apologize first and explain everything? Should she mention her parents? Or beg her to stay? Not that she was desperate for her to do so.

It reminded her of when she herself ran away to the North Mountain, and made herself a castle out of ice. Anna had tried to convince her to come back home with her, but Elsa had refused. When Anna said that she had caused an eternal winter, she lost it and her powers accidently pierced her sister in the heart. She knew she should have listened more thoroughly, and talked it out. But her fear was so overwhelming, and so was the pressure put on her to come back home. She never wanted to live her whole life like a caged animal, she wanted to be who she was.

_This was how Tanya was feeling right now. _

She came to a little clearing where there in fact was the princess, huddled next to a fire she was fueling. When she saw Elsa, she immediately stopped the flame coming from her hand, and stood up.

"What are you doing here," she demanded.

"What are you doing out here? Why did you run away?" Elsa thought it might be wise to hear her point of view first, before asking her to come back.

"I'm going back to Aldyn. I want to know why my parents just left me here without telling me."

"Your parents didn't tell you they were leaving?"

"No they never tell me anything. They think they can leave me behind and leave me out to dry. I knew something was fishy about this whole trip. They wanted to get rid of me."

"That's not true," Elsa approached the girl. "Your parents told me that they already spoke to you about it. You didn't know before?"

"Not at all. And I'm going back home to ask them why they abandoned me here in Arendelle."

"There's war going on in Aldyn. Your brother needs them there, and they thought it would be safer for you to stay here."

"More like they would be safer if I was far away from them as possible. They're afraid of me burning the kingdom down."

"They want you to learn how to control your powers," Elsa shot back.

"See, they don't trust me. I'll have you know, I can control my powers perfectly. I know who I am, and I know how my powers work. They are scared and afraid of me and what I can do."

"They're you parents, they love you."

"No they don't," Tanya gave a sarcastic laugh. "I've just been a burden to them my whole life. To them I'm a destroyer. That's all my magic is good for."

"You're wrong, you are meant for more than that."

"How do you know?" Tanya's hands were turning to warmish hues. "You don't even know me! Who do you think you are anyway to stop me from going back?"

Elsa was full of emotion. It started to snow hard all around her, putting Tanya's fire out. "I was confined in my room for thirteen years, thinking I was a monster! You don't even know me!" Once she saw the surprised look on Tanya's face, Elsa ceased the swirling storm.

"All I want to do is help, and listen. But you need to come back with me to Arendelle."

"No," Tanya said in a whisper. "I shouldn't be near you," she backed up slowly and ran into the woods.

_Great._

Elsa sighed. Even when she tried her best to talk to the younger girl, she blew it. She should have controlled her emotions more. But what Tanya said to her struck a nerve. However, Elsa knew she needed to mend things.

The queen signaled for her horse to follow her back through the trees, the direction Tanya went. She could see a glow in the distance, which meant Tanya wasn't too far ahead. For ten minutes she chased after the girl, following her light, until it suddenly went out.

_That's strange,_ Elsa thought. _Maybe she got a hold of her emotions. _

It did not take long to realize that she was wrong.

In front of her she saw Tanya tied up and unconscious.

Elsa did not have enough time to process what was going on, until she felt a whack to the back of her head. Everything turned dark. She fell to the ground, and her thoughts went to a blank.

* * *

Back in Arendelle, Anna was pacing back and forth. She did not like her sister being away for so long, it was not safe at night. A series of "what if" questions played out in her head. She could have tripped and fell, wolves might have chased her, or…

Kristoff hugged her tightly. "Hey it's going to be alright. Elsa's a very capable person and would never act without thinking things through."

"But the way she acted before she left, she was being rash then."

"Your sister is very strong, her ice powers will protect her. I have a hundred percent faith in her. But we need to be patient, after all a day hasn't even passed yet."

Anna relaxed in her fiancé's arms. "I guess you're right, I just need to wait and have faith in her."

A friendly snowman waddled up to the couple with a smile on his face.

"Hey guys, is Elsa back yet?" Olaf asked.

"Not yet," Anna replied.

"Oh, hopefully she'll be back soon. Look at the clouds in my flurry."

"Is there something wrong?"

The snowman pointed upwards with his stick arm.

"Some of the clouds are turning darker. They've never done that before. I just wanted to ask Elsa when she gets back if anything's wrong."

Olaf was right, a few small clouds in the middle were turning to a darker grey color.

"Anyway, I think I'm going to call it a night!" A big smile returned to his face and headed upstairs.

"See if Olaf isn't worried, we shouldn't be either," Kristoff said to Anna.

"But what about his clouds? Something must be wrong with Elsa, or her magic wouldn't do that to Olaf's flurry."

"She could just be stressed out. People stress out from time to time."

She chuckled half-heartedly. "Okay, I'll wait. She'll be back here before we know it."

But deep inside, she knew something was wrong. Maybe it was her intuition or sisterly connection, but she knew something wrong had happened to Elsa.


	7. Chapter 7 - Escape

**(Thanks for reading, your support means a lot! I'd love to hear your thoughts thus far. ****Hopefully this week, I'll have more time to update. Life can get kind of busy! ** **Happy reading!)**

Elsa woke up with a headache, and the back of her head throbbing. She realized that she was tied to a chair with her hands in metal locks. Her mouth was stuffed with a rag, and a tall man stood next to her with a sword near her neck.

She peered over to left, and Tanya was in the same predicament. However the princess was still unconscious with her head bent forward.

Where were they? They were in a dimly lit room, with light shining through the ceiling. It was a cell. She slowly put it together that the room was rocking back and forth. They were on a ship. Muffled voices could be heard from the floor above. So there was a crew as well.

The man noticed she had woken up, and yelled for another guard.

Elsa felt dizzy.

And then she felt sick.

_Had she been drugged?_

_Or was it just seasickness?_

She wanted to throw up.

Either way she could not think straight.

An older man with a long grey beard and dressed in darkly colored robes walked through the door. He was accompanied by two other men in dark, yet ragged clothes. All three of them carried swords and had scars on their faces.

"I see you've finally woken up," the bearded man announced.

Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She could not get the words to sound like what she wanted to say, and it came out as a groan in pain.

"You and yer friend will be fine, the poison won't kill ye."

_So they had been drugged._

"It was simply a stroke of luck to run across two such beautiful ladies. By the look of ye, you could be worth something. Maybe even royalty. You'll fetch a fine price back home."

She felt her hands get cold with emotion. But she was not able to freeze her cuffs off. Instead, all she could do was make it snow around her.

The old man was shocked at first, but then a nasty grin came over his face.

"So you're a witch eh? A sorceress? Trying to hurt the captain of this ship eh?" The man pointed at himself and guffawed.

She was not a witch. She was nothing like a witch. She was not a monster.

"Yes, yes! I'm sure you and your friend here will go over well in the market."

_They were going to be sold as slaves._

A call from the upper deck sounded the captain, and he looked up. Elsa noticed the ship was rocking in a rougher motion. The captain said something to his guard about a storm, and to give Elsa and the other girl more poison. He left going upstairs, leaving two guards behind to watch her.

Elsa did not want to take the poison, but it was hard not to when there was a sword next to her neck threatening her. She swallowed slowly, and within minutes, she blacked out again.

* * *

The queen woke up with heavy eyes. Her first thought; _Tanya_. The younger girl was still tied up next to her with her head bent backwards. Her shiny light brown hair fell almost to the floor. It was almost unreal how enchanted it looked. Her face had a gentle expression, with her pink lips parted slightly open. This was the first time Elsa had seen the girl look vulnerable. Despite their sticky situation, she was sleeping peacefully, which was quite contradictory to what they should be feeling.

Tanya was beautiful.

Elsa snapped out of it. She realized, that her eyes were staring at her. Luckily Tanya was out, could not see her staring like a dumb vegetable.

The three guards were still there. But they were asleep, sitting up against the wall, with their swords in their hands.

_They must assume we're still unconscious,_ the snow queen thought. _If they realize I'm awake again, they'll just give me more poison._

Elsa decided if she and Tanya were going to escape, she could not let the pirate guards know she was conscious. She would remain as still as possible, until she could feel her powers come back to her. Then she would break by freezing the ship. She had taken self-defense lessons from private instructors just a few months ago, and could also use her powers protect them. The problem was how she and the girl would escape the ship, being out at sea.

For a while, she thought long and hard, trying to at least think straight again. Her thick cloud in her head slowly started to evaporate, once the effects of the poison wore off. And then, an idea struck her mind. Elsa knew how they were going to escape the pirate ship.

The pirates guarding them were still asleep, luckily for Elsa. Now was her chance. If they woke up, which they would, they would give away their escape from the room. She did not want to strike them with a blast of ice, she did not want to permanently damage someone for life. Scanning the room full of crates and barrels, she did see something she could use.

A frying pan. _It will have to do._

Elsa took a deep and silent breath.

_This was it._

She slowly let her icy magic freeze the chains on her and Tanya's hands. While that was happening, she froze the clothes the pirates were wearing to the wall, so they could not move or get up. It would be uncomfortable, but not hurt them.

She could feel the metal getting colder and colder. Finally, similarly to when she was locked up in Arendelle's prison, the metal cuffs and the ropes turned to ice and shattered. At the same exact moment, so did Tanya's.

_Freedom._

Tanya, unconscious, fell off her chair onto the ground face first. The guards woke up from the loud noises. But before they could process what was going on, Elsa whacked each one in the head with the frying pan.

They were out cold.

Elsa held up her nifty pan. _What a useful yet unusual weapon, this could come in handy_, she thought. She heard irregular footsteps shuffling on the deck above her. They must have heard me, the queen panicked.

She picked up the princess off the ground, and lifted her body weight onto her shoulder. Tanya was small enough that she did not weigh much, though Elsa almost lost her balance lifting her up.

Hurrying up the stairs, she heard men's voices shout. There was no way she could take on a whole crew of pirates. She would have to try and sneak around them. Meanwhile she could feel her magic flowing from her hands, gradually starting to freeze the ship from the bottom up. She mustered all she could from within to speed up the process, though it was working at a slower rate. Completely freezing the ship was their ticket out.

Elsa hid around the corner, as a small group of pirates ran past to check downstairs. She continued her way across the hall, hoisting the girl over her shoulder.

There were shouts not too far away.

They had discovered they were missing.

As quick as she could, Elsa made her way to the end of the hall. In front of her was a fancily engraved door. Probably the captain's room. Not knowing what to expect, she slung the door open. The captain could be inside for all she cared, she could handle him. She just needed out.

It was empty.

In front of her was a huge glass window, which could be her point of escaping the ship. Elsa shot her ice at the window, freezing and then shattering the fragile glass.

Carrying Tanya, she came to the window and started freezing the ocean water. She could also feel the ship starting to become more buoyant, as her powers regained strength. The water from the ocean slowly formed into a shape of a ship made from ice. It was a small boat and had no sail, but it would do.

_Anything to get off the pirate ship. Slave ship. Wherever she was. _

Before Elsa could jump out the window with the girl, she heard a voice.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The queen spun around, only to see it was the captain standing in the corner. He had been there, watching them the whole time.

"You are not getting away girl, not from this ship."

"That's what you think!" exclaimed Elsa.

Though she did not intend on hurting the captain, despite how bad he was, she shot icicles at him. They formed into a small prison, trapping him inside like bars.

"No!" The captain roared. "You can't get away! You won't make it out on the sea!" The captain yelled angrily and his face was tomato red.

"I can certainly try!" Elsa had fully regained her powers.

With running start and a mighty blast of ice, she jumped out the window with Tanya on her back. She saw her life flash between her eyes, as the waves crashed below her. But she was going to make it. She had to. Before reaching the icy deck of her ship, Elsa formed a large pile of snow, softening their landing. She got up immediately, and continued freezing the pirate ship.

In a matter of seconds, the ice reached the tip of the mast and the ship was frozen solid. The wood of the ship turned to pure ice. But like ice, it became lighter, and its weight became less dense. Fate decided to take another turn.

As Elsa's boat floated farther from her captors, the ship, taller than it was wider, fell to its side. The men on the ship, as the queen watched afar with horror, did not have time to react. The pirates fell into the frigid sea, and the cold water swept through the large ship. Screams of men sounded everywhere. It was the sound of death. Men were dying, and she was responsible for it.

_No…_

Holding Tanya in her arms to keep her warm, Elsa fell to her knees as the pirate ship was overtaken by the giant waves. Though it would not sink, because ice floats, all the men on board would drown or freeze to death.

_No._

It was a horrid ringing through her ears. She held on to Tanya tightly, burying her face in her hair.

_This can't be happening._

This was how her parents had perished, on a boat at sea because of a wild storm. Elsa did not even have the courage to say goodbye to them at their funeral. At least not without losing it and letting her powers run wild. A vision of watching her parent's portrait being hung up on the wall, came through her mind. It was put up after their death, like the rest of the royal portraits. But this time, she was the cause of death. She did not mean to hurt anyone.

_But it is happening. And I'm responsible._

She let out a wail of anguish, and cried holding the girl. Tears flowed down her face and it started to drizzle rain. The ice ship floated on over the waves as she mourned.

* * *

Anna woke, letting out a scream.

Kristoff and her childhood maid Gerda flew into the room, after they heard the younger girl.

"Is everything alright?" Kristoff exclaimed.

"Sweetie what's wrong?" Gerda added in a panicked tone.

The princess caught her breath as she shakily lit the candle on her nightstand. Olaf was right there sitting by her side. He was silent but his face was full of worry. He was watching out for her that whole time.

"Are you okay Anna?" The snowman said gently.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm okay. It was just a nightmare."

Kristoff sighed, "Only a nightmare? It sounded like you were hurt."

"Well it kind of did," a tear fell from Anna's face. "It was about Elsa."

Gerda was the first to speak up. "Oh dear, I'll leave you two be. How about I go and bring back some tea?"

"Thanks Gerda," said Kristoff.

After her maid left, Kristoff finally spoke up holding his distraught wife-to-be. "What was your dream about?"

"She was hurt. Elsa was in pain and crying in her own storm. It was just like how I saw her crying on the fjord, before saving her from Hans. But it wasn't on the fjord. And instead of watching her, I was in her body. Not actually in her body, but seeing everything from her point of view. If that makes sense."

Olaf took her hand in his.

"Have you heard from her yet? Are the guards still searching?" She asked.

"There's been no sign of her yet."

"It's been five whole days! Elsa said she would be back within a day."

"She's probably still just trying to find Tanya, I'm sure she is safe."

"How do you know? Elsa wouldn't just disappear like that. Something wrong has happened to her, I just know it." Anna got up from her bed. "I'm going to go find her."

"Whoa there, just wait a second. You can't go out there by yourself."

"I have to find her, she's in trouble!"

"Slow down for a second! She needs us here, to take care of Arendelle!"

Anna stopped in her tracks.

"You and Elsa are the only heirs to the throne… so we need to be here for the kingdom. We have a new responsibility now. If Elsa really is gone… you're all Arendelle has left." It was the hard truth, but it needed to be said.

"Kristoff…" Anna burst in tears into his big arms. He kissed her head.

"It's going to be ok."

"She has to be alive, she has to."

Olaf spoke up, "Um guys? Some of my clouds are getting darker." Indeed it was true. The clouds that were already grey in color had darkened and multiplied.

Gerda came back into the room with a pot of herbal tea.

"Everything will be ok. But right now you need to rest," Kristoff reassured both of them.

Exhausted, Anna just nodded taking a small sip of her tea. She slipped back into the covers, as the three of them walked out.

The Kristoff turned to Olaf. "Why don't you stay with Anna? After all Elsa made you, and she needs her sister."

The snowman agreed it was a good idea, and walked back into the room holding his own cup of tea. Not the smartest thing for a snowman to do. Olaf was still learning about what heat and hot things actually were.

"Gerda is there nothing else we can do?" He said after Olaf was out of hearing range.

"I'm afraid the guards are doing all they can," her eye's saddened. "The most important thing you need to be doing, is staying strong for Arendelle, and especially for Anna. If the queen, Elsa, really is gone, Arendelle looks to you and Anna. I raised the princess since she was just a baby. Right now she is emotionally weak, and if her sister never comes back… she will be that way for a very, very long time. She needs you to be strong for her."

Kristoff did not want the queen to be gone. Elsa was very capable of taking care of herself, she was independent like that. But he was realistic, and considered the possibility that she was gone. However he did not want to rush into conclusions. That would only upset Anna even more. He had no idea what he was going to do. He was just an ordinary mountain man who sold ice for a living. How could he even support a whole kingdom?

One person came to his mind immediately. _Anna._

He would do whatever it took to take care of Anna, even if a whole kingdom came with her as well. After all, he loved her.


	8. Chapter 8 - Trust the Girl

_Maybe I am the monster everyone thought I was._

Only a day had passed since their escape, and the horrible tragedy. But to Elsa, it felt like a lifetime. Her mind was moving at a different rate than time itself. The worst part about it was Elsa had done it on purpose. She had not wanted to hurt, let alone kill anybody. Yet that was exactly what happened.

This exact thing was what Elsa most feared her entire life. Growing up, she never wanted to go outside or be there for her sister. She was too afraid of hurting her sister again or someone else that got too close. As a child she accidentally hit Anna in the head with a blast of ice, while they were playing in the ballroom. While Anna was jumping in the air, Elsa made snow piles to catch her. But Elsa had slipped on her own ice, and was not able to catch her sister on the last jump. It was an accident her sister got hurt, and both girls were a bit at fault for lack of communication. But what everyone had said to her from then on, was to conceal and hide her magic within.

But this time, it was not an accident.

She was fully responsible.

Elsa's mind since the shipwreck had gone into shock, processing life's moments in bits and fragments. Everything to her seemed choppy, and only certain things stuck in her mind.

_Murderer._

_Pirates._

_Killer._

_Anna. _

_Fear._

_My fault._

_Tanya…_

She did not know exactly why she was thinking of the princess so much, or why she crossed her mind at all. She did not even want Elsa near her, when all the queen had wanted to do was be her friend. Now she was still unconscious, while Elsa carried Tanya on her back. The heartbeat of the younger girl beat against Elsa's back, and reverberated into her own heart.

Their ice ship had landed on a coast foreign to her, not too long after their getaway. At least that's how it felt to Elsa. However, nothing around her looked or felt familiar. The sky was completely overcast, so she did not know which direction to travel. The queen decided to walk along the coast. That was their best bet for finding their way to a town, or any place to get help.

Her muscles felt weak, and noticed a few bruises around her wrists and ankles. It was probably due to being tied up. Her clothes were dirty, and had some rips in her dress. But besides being sore, she Elsa was not severely injured or hurt. At least physically. Her heart was another matter.

Suddenly, Tanya moved on her back. She was waking up.

Elsa stopped and slowly moved the girl from her back onto the tall green grass. Instantly after she did, there was pain in her back.

"Where…?"

Tanya looked around at her surroundings. Once she noticed the queen in front of her, her eyes grew wide.

"Elsa?"

"How are you feeling?" She knelt beside the princess.

The girl took a second to process the question, as she massaged her own back. "I'm okay, but where are we?"

"We escaped."

"Escaped? How in the world did we manage to do that?"

_Well, it involved me rescuing you._

"I used my powers to get us out."

She looked surprised at the mention of magic, but then Tanya remembered.

"Oh."

"Oh?" _That's all she could say?_

"I shouldn't be anywhere near you."

_Not this again._ Elsa could feel a small storm brewing inside her.

"Nowhere near me? I saved our lives!"

"I have to go…" Tanya's weak legs stumbled a bit while getting up off of the ground, but Elsa stopped her.

"You aren't going anywhere, until you explain why you desperately need to get away from me. What's so wrong about me?"

"Your powers," the princess said bluntly.

"Excuse me? My powers were what saved us both back there, and for a cost!"

"Your magic is made of ice and snow, but mine is the essence of fire and heat. Did it ever occur to you for a second, those two were not meant to be near each other?"

"I'm not talking about powers, I'm talking about you and me! My powers don't define who I am, and neither do yours!"

"But we're both dangerous. I'm not talking about to others, but to each other. Imagine what they could do," she said in a lower voice, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, I promise I'm not going to hurt you," the queen said softly. But after what happened back at sea, Elsa did not know if it was true.

"Don't promise anything you can't keep," it was if Tanya could read her mind.

"Fine." That got Tanya's full attention. She did not expect Elsa to agree with her. "But I do promise you can trust me."

"If I can really trust you. Tell me the truth about why I even came to Arendelle. I don't believe that my parents just left me here because war broke out in Aldyn." She made quotes in the air with her fingers. "Trust me, my brother knows how to take care of himself."

"They didn't give any other reason other than that. I'm just as confused right now as you," Elsa said sadly.

"I don't believe you."

"I'm not asking you to. But from what I could tell about your parents, they do care about you, even if they do a crummy job of expressing it. And though they didn't say it themselves, I think they wanted you to be around someone you could truly relate with."

Tanya thought about what the queen said. "Well… I guess on some level that's accurate. I've never felt very accepted around anyone."

"Trust me, I know what that's like."

"People have always been wary or cautious around me. As if I'm bad luck or fortune. Even my family, especially my brother Anton. He never acknowledges me. He's always absorbed in his own world. And with good reason they should be suspicious around me. After all it's pretty obvious the Aldyn prophecy's about me."

Elsa became even more alert. "Wait, prophecy? What prophecy? Your parents didn't mention anything about a prophecy."

"Wow they really didn't tell you much, did they?" She said with amazement. "Well as the legend has it, a long time ago the royal prince of Aldyn was hunting in the woods. As he came to a creek, he noticed up in the tree, a beautiful red bird made from flame. It was the great firebird. Greedy as he was, he wanted to capture and stuff the bird for his taxidermy collection. The firebird was completely unaware that the prince was there, and noticed him after the arrow was shot. Before it could fly away, the arrow struck its heart. When the prince came over to collect his prize, the firebird spoke the curse through its last breaths. Though its physical body was dying, its spirit would live on, and one day be reincarnated into the royal line. Those would be Aldyn's last days, and the kingdom will be under fire and flame."

Tanya paused, "It's obvious that the prophecy's me. I hold the firebird's spirit, and that's why my parents are so afraid. Because I'm going to bring destruction to my own home."

"I don't believe you're the prophecy."

"You promised to tell the truth."

"I refuse to believe it's you. We make our own decisions, fate doesn't control our lives. And it's a good thing too."

"I wish I could believe that as well," there was openness in the girl's voice. Elsa heart went out for the girl. She wanted to run over and hug Tanya tight in her arms, like she did on the ice ship. But she restrained herself.

"So what are we going to do now?" Tanya said calmly.

"You aren't going to run away from me again?" There was a bit of teasing in Elsa's voice.

"I think you're alright. And I'll make sure you won't get hurt, by me or anyone else."

The princess looked down at Elsa's face, and her eyes traced up her body, and into her own. Elsa felt her heart beat faster and started to feel nervous. But it was a good nervous.

_A good nervous? Good grief. That makes absolutely no sense._

Tanya woke up from her gaze, and said, "I still need to find my answer, I believe there was another reason they left me in Arendelle."

"If there's no way of stopping you, I'm going with you," Elsa was surprised that even came out of her mouth.

"I guess you can come too, I don't really like being alone anyway."

"Plus it's safer if we stick together. I don't want to risk the possibility of running into those men again."

"There's no way I'll let that happen again. It happened that once because I wasn't paying attention for a split second. It's funny though, they looked sort of familiar."

"What do you mean?"

"There was one man I swear I've seen before."

"We should probably keep that in mind. If you have really seen them before, they could be following us."

"I doubt it. But if they are, they won't be so lucky next time," small sparks flew from the princess' hand.

"Whoops, I didn't mean to do that."

"No please, don't hold back," Elsa scooted closer to the girl. "Just let it all out. You can be who you truly are."

She smiled at the queen, it was one Elsa had not seen before until now.

"Do you want to see a trick?"

"Sure.."

Elsa formed a snowy orb while cupping her hands together. Tanya watched intently. The ball formed into a new shape, with a head, beak, wings, feet, and a tail. The queen brought the snow shaped bird close to her mouth, and gently blew on it.

It turned to life!

The bird's wings spread in the palms of Elsa's hands, and took flight. It had soft eyes and sang a sweet song. When she whistled and held out her hand, the bird landed and perched on her index finger. The snow was the purest white, and its beak and feet made from ice. It was in a shape of a blue jay.

"It's beautiful," Tanya said and then whispered under her breath, "just like you."

_It is beautiful._

_Wait._

_What?_

Elsa could feel her cheeks get hot. There was no doubt she was blushing, her skin was so fair it was obvious. She turned her head so the princess would not see, but Tanya already noticed and was smiling.

_Did she just try to flirt with me?_

The queen changed the subject.

"I bet you can make one like mine."

"From my fire? No I don't think it works like that."

"Just try," she encouraged Tanya.

"Well… I'll try..."

Hesitantly, Tanya started forming a ball of fire in her own cupped hands. With her fingers, she molded it into a bird shape, and then breathed life onto her creation. The bird flew out of her hands in a burst of light, and flew high into the sky. It expanded its wings full of fire and might, and flew back down. It perched itself on Tanya's hand. Despite being made from fire, it did not burn her finger. In fact, it did not burn anything. The bird was in a shape of a cardinal.

Tanya laughed for the first time and exclaimed, "You were right, just look! But I don't understand. Why isn't it setting things, including me, on fire?"

"I think," Elsa started, "it's because it's alive. The bird has its own mind and power, though you control it. You're intent wasn't to destroy, rather the opposite. While molding it, you wanted to bring life, not death. Just like my bird."

Both of the birds suddenly took to the sky, and flew around each other in circles. They flew over to the tree a few feet away from them, and landed on a branch. They sat against one another and started touching beaks.

Elsa's heart skipped a beat. This was incredibly uncomfortable for her.

"They're kissing," Tanya said softly.

"No, they're just grooming each other," Elsa tried to change what was happening.

She laughed. "It's cute."

_She thinks it's cute._

"I guess so. I guess they are, I mean," that was the only thing that could come out of the queen's mouth.

"I meant you silly, the way you blush like that."

For the first time, Elsa felt like she was on fire. She was caught, and couldn't hide her red cheeks or sweaty palms.

"Thank you."

_Thank you? That's all you could say to her? Thank you?_

Elsa could not come up with the right words to say back, so instead she said, "Maybe they can send a message to Arendelle."

Tanya went with it, "It's worth a shot."

The queen whistled the two birds over and asked, "Could you fly to Arendelle, to let everyone know we're safe? And can you stay with Anna to make sure she's alright?"

The birds chirped back, and took off into the sky. They headed back towards the sea in the opposite direction. From their view, the birds looked like two bright stars once they were far enough away.

"We should probably keep walking and looking for a town, before it gets dark. Are you alright to walk?"

"I think so," the girl got up from the grass. But Tanya could only move her legs so much, before they started shaking.

Elsa came beside her and wrapped her arm around the waist, to help keep her from falling. Her skin felt warm.

They made their way down the coast, until far off in the distance they saw lights near the bluff. Fortune was on their side, that it was in fact a town with a port. There they could find a place to sleep, get some new clothes, and even get directions to Aldyn. There was no going back to Arendelle at this point.


	9. Chapter 9 - At the Squidside Inn

**Sorry for such the late update. Life has been a little crazy. I promise the next chapter will be longer and published sooner! ****Cheers!**

The snow was blowing furiously along the frozen solid fjord. Elsa could only see a couple feet ahead of what was around her. But she was on her knees, hands over her face, crying in hysterics. As well as her own, she could hear other voices crying out in the storm. Her blonde hair was messily blowing in different directions, and her tears made her eye makeup smear. She was a mess.

Suddenly a dark shadow stood before her, casting a shadow on the queen.

Hans?

The shadow came closer to the crying queen, and raised an arm. The silhouette of a sword appeared in his hand. Hans did not change out of his shadow-like form, and swung down his sword to kill her.

A cry came out.

"No!"

Anna?

Elsa saw her sister appear out of nowhere, and ran in between her and Hans. Anna stuck out her arm as if to block the blow of the sword. And then slowly, she turned into a frozen ice statue, starting from the tips of her fingers to her feet.

Once Hans' sword hit the frozen Anna, his shadow burst and disappeared into the blizzard.

"Anna!"

But Elsa's screams could not bring her sister back. She quickly got up to face the frozen ice statue that was Anna. But as the queen placed her hands on her sister's face, she realized her face was in fact Tanya's.

"No…"

_It couldn't be. _

But it was. Elsa held the girl who saved her live tightly in her arms, and closed her eyes. She whimpered as silent tears came down her cheeks like ice crystals. And then, tenderly she kissed the corner of the statue's mouth.

The storm suddenly stopped and stood still. Elsa could see what was all around her. She was not on Arendelle's fjord, but rather aboard her ice ship on the sea. There were things floating in the calm water. They were in the shape of… bodies. Of the pirate crew that drowned by her hand.

_Dead bodies. _

_Hundreds of them. _

Elsa woke up, sitting straight up, heart pounding. It was just a dream. It was the same one which kept haunting her nights. She turned over on the couch she was sleeping on, and saw that Tanya was sleeping soundly in the bed. There was nothing to worry about, she was safe.

Flashes of the nightmare kept her up for another good hour. She could almost feel the delicateness of Tanya's cheeks, cupped in her own hands. Her beautiful light brown hair. Her small button nose.

The urge to kiss her.

_What?! _

_No… _

_She couldn't. _

_She didn't. _

_It wasn't like that at all. _

The queen snapped out of her own thoughts, and tried thinking of something else. Anything else to get her mind off of Tanya.

She did not have to distract her thoughts for very long. The moon shining through the window lulled her back to sleep.

* * *

Arendelle was a lonely place again for Anna. She never thought she would feel this way after she and Elsa mended their relationship. But now that Elsa had been missing for a long time, she was sinking into a depression.

She never wanted to come out of her room anymore, though sometimes she had to. To fill in for Elsa. Her sister.

_She's gone. _

Anna had to slowly consider the possibility her sister was not coming back. Elsa, who she loved so much, the only family she had.

Gone, just like that.

The princess rolled around in her bed, and turned to the other side. Gerda came into the room.

"Princess Anna, are you awake?"

Anna could only muster up a grunt. She did not like ignoring anyone, especially Gerda, and could not even if she tried.

"Oh sweetie, you have to get up. It's already in the afternoon."

Anna moved onto her back to see the older lady. Her hair was probably in a giant poof of a mess, but she did not care. Gerda had seen her when she looked her worst before.

"You have been spending so much time in bed, and haven't eaten at all. It's not healthy. Kristoff's very worried for you."

_Oh yeah, Kristoff. _

"I know it has been extremely hard for you. But we are trying all we can to find Elsa. There has been word coming from sailors, that some claimed to see a ship made out of ice."

"Could it be Elsa?" Anna piped up.

"It could be. Arendelle is farther north, where ice and snow isn't uncommon. But it's something you don't usually see late in summer."

"Oh."

"Why don't I lay out a cozy outfit for you, you can get out of bed, and well make you some nice soup. How does that sound?"

"Thanks, that sounds great," her voice was monotone.

Anna got dressed, went downstairs with her maid, and joined her and Kristoff for a bowl of chicken noodle soup. It tasted good. But Anna did not have much of an appetite. Her fiancé sat right next to her with his protective arm around her. Anna knew he did not like seeing her suffer.

"Why don't we take a walk through the garden?" Kristoff suggested. Anna knew the reason why he brought the garden up was because of Elsa. She loved the garden.

She nodded and said a quiet, "Okay."

They held hands as they walked in silence through the brick path. Anna did not want to talk, and Kristoff was perfectly happy with that. He was not as social as her anyway. But he did understand her, and that's what mattered.

They came to Elsa's favorite spot near the roses and sat on the bench. Anna simply just curled up into Kristoff, and he kissed her forehead. She started drowsing off.

Then she felt a nudge.

"Look, up there," Kristoff pointed.

Two objects in the sky started growing and were moving closer to them.

"What is it?" She sounded more interested.

"I can't make it out, it's… a bird's on fire!"

"Huh?"

"See, up there!"

Anna actually looked up to see what he was talking about. To her astonishment, it was true. There were two birds, and one of them was on fire. However the other one…

It was made out of ice!

_Elsa! _

_The birds must be magical! Elsa must have made it! _

The princess leaped from the bench and ran towards the castle, to where the birds were flying.

"Anna, wait!" Kristoff said as he ran after her.

She did not wait up for him. Anna ran as fast as she could. Her sister was still alive!

* * *

It was late in the morning when the sun shone through the curtains of the room. Elsa felt the warm rays on her eyelids, and they shuttered open. She yawned. She did not even want to know what time, or even what day it was. They both had an exhausting week of running, getting captured, escaping, and traveling on their feet. They had not even one break during that whole time span.

Previously, Elsa and Tanya had been walking along the coast, trying to find the closest town. More like Elsa was walking, and supporting Tanya's weight the whole time. But Elsa did not mind having the girl close to her. She liked it very much. Maybe a little too much. But Elsa enjoyed being strong for somebody. With her sister Anna, it was different. She felt not necessarily obligated, but bound by a sisterly love to watch over and protect her. But with Tanya, she felt that same protectiveness taken to a whole new level. Elsa put one arm around the girl's waist, while Tanya wrapped her arm around Elsa's shoulders. Tanya grabbed for Elsa's hand. Immediately, the queen's palms became a little sweaty from nerves, and she avoided eye contact with the girl out of embarrassment. But Elsa did not let go of her hand.

The coast was rocky and steep in some parts. They had to climb over large boulders and up large hills, just to see that there were more up ahead. When it got to the point where Elsa was going to drop, they came close enough to a town that gave her enough energy to keep going.

Entering the town, there were a couple of big men by the gates. In the overalls and tunics they were wearing, they could have been fishermen just keeping the lookout.

Elsa tiredly asked them where the closest inn was. They pointed to the two story building just at the end of the main road. The queen thanked them and headed on her way with the girl. They did not offer to help with the limping girl, but they were probably scared of touching a girl that was not from town. Elsa definitely did not need or want their help after all. Besides she liked being the one supporting and holding on to Tanya. She was not going to let strange men touch her.

Exhausted, she walked up the steps of the inn and entered the doors. The sign read _Gerolt's Squidside Inn_.

_That's a peculiar name,_ Elsa thought.

The man at the front desk wore a sweater, fisherman's cap, and held a churchwarden pipe in his mouth. When he saw the two girls walk in, he immediately noticed their attire.

Elsa looked down at her clothes. Their dresses were very dirty and ripped up. The man's eyes were wide.

_No wonder he's so confused. Two girls, alone and one injured, wandering alone in the middle of the night. We are probably the strangest thing that's come into town. _

"Velcome to Gerolt's Squidside Inn, how may I help you ladies tonight?" He spoke with an unusual accent Elsa was not accustomed to.

"Do you have a room available for the night? Or maybe two?"

"Ov course, ve are een fact an eenn. I believe there eez a spare room upstairs dat is not being occupied."

"Can we reserve it?"

"I'll pud it right on the leest for you, and give you ladies your key."

"Thank you, sorry for barging in like that. We've been traveling for a while now."

"Iy can zee dat."

"Is there anywhere to find new clothes close by around here?"

The man paused and looked up and down at their dirty dresses. "Teell you vat. I have a couple spare robes you can have fer free. Ya girls look like you have traveled longer than you make eet out to be, and you would geet more use in 'em den I would."

"Really it's ok…"

"Compleemends of Gerolt. Now before I show ya up to yer rooms, dere eez a fivteen coin deposeet."

Elsa searched through her dress pockets, and her heart sank when she felt only empty space. "I'm so sorry, I'm afraid that I have nothing."

_Those pirates must have looted all my money._

"I won't waste any more of your time, thanks for offering your generosity to us," Elsa felt silly for trying to rent a room when she could not even afford it. She started to head out the door with Tanya, who did not look well at all.

"Hang on there. Ya don'd look like any of de normal travelerz dat pass by. I don'd know weer yer from, but yer een no shape to be walkeeng around at dees time of night. Eespecialy wid' the girl. I can offer ya the room fer free for however she needs to heal up, eef you can run a few errands fer me."

"You mean it? I mean, of course, of course I will! I won't forget your kindness."

_Looks like they lucked out big time. _

Geralt searched the inside of his desk and rummaged through a door-full of keys. "Ahhh here we go, dis eez eet." Elsa followed the man upstairs with Tanya still in her arms. She was thankful for the grace and generosity this man was showing them. She would run any errands he wanted for it.

"Here ya go ladies, I'll leave ye be now. I'll knock on yer door vonce I leave the robes outzide. Come down avder ye've had zome rest, and I'll leet ya know vat errands I vant you doing."

He let them be, and as Elsa closed the door gently, she immediately helped Tanya onto the bed.

"Oh my…" Tanya gave a sigh of relief. "Finally, a bed"

Elsa was helping her take off her boots the same time as the girl spoke. Then she pulled the stockings from the Tanya's ankles. Her legs were pale and smooth, but full of bruises.

Tanya gave her a curios look as to what she was doing. And then it hit Elsa.

_Oh my gosh. She thinks I'm undressing her. _

The shorter girl saw the wide eyed expression on Elsa's face, but just laughed. "I think I've got it from here." She moved her hand from the bed, and it fell softly as a feather onto Elsa's. A sudden shock went through her veins.

She felt dizzy.

"Oh, sure, um, I'll let you get out of your dress," Elsa turned around and went to the other side of the room to change out of her own, before Tanya could see she was red.

As she took off her ratted up riding dress, Elsa decided she would sleep on the sofa near the window, letting Tanya take the bed. She undid the braid in her hair, leaving platinum wavy locks falling down her shoulders. Her blue undergarments were mostly dry, but she was too tired to even care. She hung the dress onto the coatrack in the corner, and then went to the wardrobe across from the bed. Inside were blankets she could use for the night.

"Hey, you can take the bed, I'll take the couch now that I've found blankets…" As she turned around, she saw the princess watching her from behind.

Tanya was caught staring at her red-handed. And she knew it. The princess gulped, moving her eyes towards Elsa's gorgeous blues, and managed to say "Okay." From a sitting position, she fell back laying down on the bed.

Elsa had no idea what was going on with herself. It seemed every time Tanya said something, did something, touched her, it struck all the nerves in her body. But she was beginning to like it.

"Hey Elsa?" The princess said quietly.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to thank you, for what you did."

The queen sat down on the bed beside her. "It was no big deal, really. We were in trouble and had to escape that ship somehow. You were hurt and needed a crutch."

"But it was a big deal to me. Ever since I was a little kid, no one has ever done anything close to what you did for me. You helped me along for miles when I couldn't walk. You ran after me instead of just letting me go like everyone else. What I want to say is I…" Tanya looked like she was about to say something else, but changed her mind, "that you are a good friend, and I know I can trust you."

She placed a hand on Elsa's knee. Elsa put her hand on top of the girl's, and intertwined fingers.

"Isn't that what friends are for?"

Elsa, now fully awake, reminisced the accounts of the previous night. There was no way she was going to sleep. She looked over at Tanya sleeping on her side in fetal position, facing her. Her bedhead hair still kept its perfectly straight form. Elsa had no idea how hair could even work like that. She got up and stretched in the undergarments she slept in. She walked over to the wardrobe, and grabbed the blue cloak hanging up.

Before she went out, the queen washed her dress and waited for it to dry. There was no way she was going out in just a cloak and underwear.

She sat on the bed next to the sleeping Tanya. There was literally nothing to do in the room except wait. Minutes seemed like hours to her. Elsa checked around the night table if there were any books to read, but to her disappointment there were not.

The queen played around with her magic a bit, forming various snowball shapes with her hands. Until a voice grumbled behind her. It was just Tanya, making sounds in her sleep.

She looked so innocent when she was asleep, something Elsa was seeing a lot of lately. Her chest rose up and down, and her head was tilted to one side. Tanya's light brown hair was sprawled around the pillow, but throughout the night managed to stay perfectly straight, unlike her own hair. Elsa's hair in the morning had a wave to it, but it wasn't as out of control as Anna's.

Tanya had a face of an angel. Not in the way that she looked close to childish, but in that her face had a gentle appearance, almost delicate-like. Both of her cheeks had a slight rosy tint. The princess' skin was light, though not as fair as her own. Elsa even noticed a couple freckles dusted on her nose, which she had not noticed before. She had a practically flawless, yet unique beauty which Elsa loved. Her pink lips were slightly parted open.

They looked so soft. So perfect. So…

_Lovely. _

The queen snapped out of her daydreaming.

_No you mustn't feel, she told herself. You're the queen of Arendelle, and she… Exactly! She! You can't have feelings for her, no matter what they are or how confusing they are. It could never work anyway. _

Elsa's heart sunk deep in her chest.

She finally realized what she was feeling, what she had felt the night of the ball when meeting Tanya for the first time. How nervous she felt all the time, and how the princess made her blush. How her hands would get sweaty, and her chest would pound so hard. How even just a touch was electrifying, and made Elsa feel like she was on fire.

Elsa wanted it, her, so much, but it was not realistic.

_It would never work anyway. _

Elsa placed her hand on Tanya's, and at the sudden movement, Tanya's eyes fluttered open.

In silence, she looked up at Elsa with her stormy blue eyes. They were as blue as the cold, raging ocean that the pirate ship perished on…

It hurt Elsa's chest to think about that. She would not tell Tanya what happened that night, or the details of the escape. She would not burden the girl. Elsa made a promise that she could trust her, but what she had no recollection of would not kill her. She would keep her safe, even if that meant emotionally safe. The fact that Elsa had sunk a whole ship full of men was slowly killing her inside.

"Good morning," Elsa made herself smile, not removing her hand from Tanya's hand. She grinned back at her.

She stretched. "How long did I even sleep for?" The princess' question came out as a yawn.

"Just a couple days."

"Just a couple days?" Tanya jumped out of bed. "We have to get on our way! We can't just waste days to rest…"

But she realized she stood up to soon, when she stumbled on her bruised legs.

"Whoa there, with your legs wobbling like that, you should be taking it slow," Elsa caught the girl from falling.

"I'm pretty sure I can walk," Elsa withdrew her support, and sure enough she could.

"I think it would be a good idea if we stayed one more day here in town," the queen suggested.

"But we have to keep going!" Tanya protested.

"Not with you injured. Even if it's nothing serious, we wouldn't make much distance. And besides, I promised that good man Geralt, who let us stay here for free, we'd do errands for him."

Tanya grumbled and then sighed. "I guess so. I'm just so anxious."

"Don't worry over something you can't help, let's just enjoy a day in town and find things we need."

"Well, I guess one more day won't matter."

"It will be fun, I promise," Elsa winked as she walked to the coat rack, and brought back their dried dresses. "Get changed, I'm not about to go out into town in my underwear!"


	10. Chapter 10 - Help Is on the Way

**I promised you all I would publish this chapter faster, but school happened and went to a conference over the weekend. I will try to be better! Thanks for supporting me. :)**

It was a grey day in the town, but despite the gloomy weather, there were many people out. Apparently the dampness was common for that area, and they were near a marsh. From Geralt, Elsa learned that the town made most of their profit from fishing and trade. She could have put that together, seeing all the boats lined up next to each other near the docks. She asked him if that had anything to do with the unusual name of the inn. The inn owner said that it was simply based off a legend he had heard as a boy. When he would go fishing with his father, he would hear stories of a giant squid that could take down entire boats. Instead of being scared, he was fascinated by the tale, and wondered what else could live in the sea.

_So he named his business after a childhood tale. _

But to Geralt, it was not just a story from childhood. It was what he grew up with. It was part of his culture.

Once Elsa asked what errands she could run for him, he gave her a huge load of fish. It was his last catch, and he wanted to sell it to the traders from the south that were currently in town. The fish smelled horrible, and stunk the whole place. But somehow, the stench seemed to blend in with the rest of the salty sea air around them. As much as Elsa did not want to carry the stinky, slimy fish, she did not really have much of a choice. After all, she tried her very best to keep every promise she made.

"Can I help you out there?" Tanya asked as she watched Elsa try to carry the first load to the market.

"No I think I have it under con-"

Elsa realized that was not really a question, because Tanya automatically picked up a huge bag of smelly fish. She grinned at Elsa. Despite her legs, she was not going to let Elsa pull all the weight. The queen was surprised but then appreciative of the unexpected kind gesture.

"Oh, um thanks. But you need to watch out for-"

She was cut off again. "I'll be fine! Watch, I've got muscles of steel!" Tanya flexed and then grunted as she picked up the heavy load. "I really do, I swear!"

Elsa could not help but giggle, and place her hand over her mouth. She was so cute, trying to help despite her legs hurting tremendously. Tanya was doing it to impress her; that was evident. The princess really did care about her after all.

The queen was amazed at how, during the short time that had passed, the princess had slowly changed her attitude toward Elsa. She was still somewhat rash, independent, and outspoken, but had become more open and calm. But again, that could have been because Elsa dropped the subject about her powers. Would she try to shut Elsa out again if she mentioned her magic? Any magic in general? She was curious, how much control did Tanya really have over her powers? Was she just lying to Elsa?

"See? No problem, my queen!"

_Was that supposed to be a pet name? _

Dumbly, as if to process Tanya's words, Elsa asked out loud, "My queen?"

The princess stopped and looked at her. She was beet red. "I- I mean, Elsa. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be addressing you like that." She was stuttering and dropped a few fish.

Elsa laughed, making Tanya even more embarrassed. However, she wasn't laughing at her, but in her own embarrassment. "You can call me whatever you want, I'm your friend after all." It was the first time either girl had acknowledged the relationship that was growing between them.

"Friend?"

_Oh no, what if she doesn't think we're friends? _

_What if she is using me to get back home to Aldyn? _

_What if she secretly hates me? _

_Or what if it's the opposite, she doesn't see me as a friend but something more? _

Regardless, Elsa had to open her mouth and say something, without letting more silence go by.

"Yes, I see you as my friend." In Tanya's eyes, there was a hint of something she could not make out. Was it disappointment?

_Oh no… _

Elsa did not mean to friend-zone her. "What I mean is," Elsa continued to fix up what she just said, "that I trust you as a friend. I haven't had many people come through my life. Only my parents, my sister Anna, her fiancé Hans and his reindeer Sven, and the snowman Olaf. I'm sure you met them at the party… Well, they're the only friends I've ever had. What I'm trying to say is…" Elsa was picking up the fish from the ground that Tanya dropped.

She rambled just like Anna did when she was nervous. It was something so unlike herself, but then, she had never really had these feelings before either.

_Probably just runs in the family. _

Tanya finished her sentence, "…that you mean a lot to me."

And Elsa had no idea why the girl meant a lot to her, or like where these feelings were coming from. But she was pretty sure only she was feeling them, pretty sure at least…

Then she had an urge to do something she had never done before. But they were in the middle of a market, full of big, burly fishermen and traders, all probably watching the two strange girls as they attempted hauling fish. And anyway, her urge was foreign and ridiculous, she could not trust it.

"You mean a lot to me too," Elsa said.

_There. Sweet and simple. _

The girl's eyes lingered on Elsa for a few more seconds, before she focused back on what they were supposed to be doing.

There was a twinge in Elsa's back, from finally dropping the first load of Geralt's fish on the dock.

"I'm pretty sure this is where he told us to put it," she said, eyes stuck on Tanya. Unfortunately for Elsa, she planted her foot on something slippery on the dock, and fell backwards. She stumbled back, and flailed her arms rather ungracefully as she fell into the cold water.

_Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. _

Elsa quickly grabbed onto the edge of the dock, soaking wet. When she looked up, Tanya was right there, offering her hand. There was a twinkle in the girl's stormy eyes, and Elsa was smitten.

_Was this what Anna felt like when she met Hans? _

She grasped the princess' hand as she pulled Elsa out of the water, and up on her own two feet. Suddenly, Elsa felt clumsy and self-conscious. She did not remember the last time she tripped ever, though she had seen Anna do that before.

_This was going to be a long day._

* * *

When Anna got back to the castle, she beat Kristoff by yards. Elsa was alive! What she had seen with the magical birds was proof that she, as well as Tanya, were alright. Where was Elsa? Was she safe? Did she get through the mountains? Why didn't she come back to the castle within a day, like she said originally? And then different scenarios ran through Anna's head. Was she hurt? Was she in trouble? Oh please don't be in trouble. What if she fell and can't get up? Or what if she's lost? Or what if…

The worst scenario yet passed her mind.

_What if she is dead and sent help before she died? _

She could not let these thoughts control her. After all, there was really no way to know yet what happened with Elsa.

Anna burst into the castle and headed towards the main hallway. That was the area at least she saw them fly into. She zoomed past the castle workers who watched her and Kristoff, running in the halls, in utter confusion. In haste to catch up, Kristoff almost knocked down a cleaning maid, dusting the royal paintings.

"Oh look at that!"

It was Olaf's happy voice, coming closer and closer.

"They're so pretty, especially that fire one… Ouch! But don't touch!"

Anna saw the snowman playing with what she saw flying in the sky outside. The birds were circling around him, as he twirled as if he was dancing. As soon as he saw Anna and Kristoff, he stopped spinning, and opened his arms wide.

"Look what I found guys!"

"Olaf!" Exclaimed Anna. "Do you know if it's Elsa?"

"I don't think so, they look more like birds to me."

"I mean, do you think Elsa could have made them?"

"Hmmm I'll take a look!" Olaf whistled at the snow bird, and it flew down onto his finger, and ruffled it's feathers. Olaf inspected it closely.

"Let's see here… interesting, interesting…"

"So? Do you know?"

"By the look of it… yep, yes! This one at least is definitely made by Elsa."

Anna jumped up in the air with joy. She wrapped her arms around Kristoff as hard as she could, which even rivaled one of his big bear hugs. "She's still alive! I knew it, I knew it all along!"

"But that really hot one…," Olaf continued, confused.

"Tanya could have made that," Anna cleared up Olaf's confusion.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Kristoff piped up. "Look at all the detail! Your sister should definitely take up sculpting."

"How did they find Arendelle without Elsa?" Anna asked.

"Let me ask them!" Olaf exclaimed.

"You can do that?"

"Of course I can silly."

"It's because you're both made alive from magic right?" Kristoff guessed.

"No, that wouldn't make sense. I've known how to speak bird since the day I was made!" Olaf proceeded to make whistling noises you would not necessarily associate with a bird call. Anna and Kristoff both just looked at each other.

"Come here you little birdies, you little cuties you!" The snowman whistled to them as best as a snowman could. He then covered his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm asking them if they know where Elsa is," Olaf whispered.

"Can you ask them if she's alive? If she's alright? If she's hurt? Oh! Can they lead me to her?"

"Woah slow down," Kristoff put his big hand on the princess' shoulder. "Olaf can only ask one question at a time."

But the snowman cut them off. "She and Tanya are both alive!" The birds continued chirping back and Olaf listened. "They are over the mountains… yeah… uh huh… across the sea…," he kept listening.

_ They were across the sea? That was so far! Why where they going that way, away from Arendelle? _

"Yes… I see… so they are on their way to Aldyn!" Olaf concluded happily.

"What? Why aren't they coming back to Arendelle? And why did Elsa not tell me?" Anna said softly.

"Maybe she just didn't have a chance to. Or maybe this could be her way of trying to contact you," replied Kristoff.

"I guess… but I still have a gut feeling as if something else happened."

"I get gut feelings too, when I'm hungry. Anna, you have no idea if something else happened or not."

"Well call it sisterly intuition, but I swear, I just know something is off."

At that moment, Gerda and Kai walked into the room talking to one another. Once they eyed the birds, their eyes went wide and fell silent. "What in the name is happening here?" Gerda exclaimed.

"I'll go get the guards," added Kai. "Foreign magic has invaded the castle!"

"No, wait!" Anna called waving her arms in a stop motion. "It's okay, really! It's just Elsa!"

Kai relaxed once he heard the name Elsa. "I swear ever since the queen took the throne, things have been odder around here. Sorry Princess Anna, I'm still getting used to this whole magical powers concept."

"Same," added Gerda in agreement. "I've raised you two from when you were babies, and I never had a clue. Your parents hid it well."

It was true that her parents hid it very well. She herself did not even know if any of the staff even knew. Her parents might have told those who they trusted the most, but then that would have been Kai and Gerda. They had worked there for so long, way before they were born. If their parents did not even trust Kai or Gerda, they almost positively did not tell anyone else. She was surprised though, Gerda was her mother's nanny and maid even when she was a princess. _You could have thought my mother would've told her. _

"Yeah they did hide it pretty well. My whole life I had no clue. Of course I can be pretty oblivious at times." Kristoff chuckled, which in response, Anna hit him lightly in the arm. "Hey!" Anna lips turned into a pout, but could not help the edges of her mouth grow into a smile.

Elsa's alive. Her sister, who she thought was dead, which tore at her heart for days. Now that she was sure she was alive, Anna was not going to take any chances. She was not going to risk losing her sister again to the unknown. Once was already good enough. She had almost lost her sister a year ago, and she decided she wasn't going to take any chances. Elsa needs me whether she knows it or not. Or more like I need her whether she knows it or not.

"She did hide it well, but that wasn't the real Elsa. Hid it because she was scared of hurting someone, someone mostly being me. But now she's in trouble, I just know it. And I'm scared of her getting hurt. But I'm not going to just lock myself in my room and confine myself to my bed anymore. I'm going to go find her, her and Tanya, and bring them back to Arendelle."

"What!?" All three of them exclaimed at the same time. All of them except for Olaf, who was still mesmerized by Elsa's magic flying in the air. But once he heard them, he tuned into the conversation.

"No, not now, and not by yourself," Kristoff took Anna's hands. "Elsa needs you here to watch over Arendelle. You have a responsibility here and that's what's most important right now."

Anna let go of his hands and backed away. "What's most important to me is that Elsa's safe. Kristoff, she's my sister. My responsibility as a sister is more important to me than a princess." She cupped her hands together and brought them to her chest, as if to contain her heart inside. Anna narrowed her eyes, and her forehead creased slightly. "I thought you of all people knew that."

Kristoff with his arm still partially in the air was at loss for words. There was no way he could convince Anna that her kingdom needed her. He did not mean to hurt her, or even say it in that way. But deep down he knew it was true, and he knew Anna knew it was true as well.

"I don't want to stop you Anna, I'm not going to. But if you are going, take Sven with you. He's not like a horse, but he trusts you enough for you to ride him."

"I'll come with you too," Olaf added, tugging on Anna's dress with his twig hand.

"Kristoff?" Anna said sadly, waiting to see if her fiancé would accompany her or not. But knowing Kristoff, she already knew the answer.

"Someone has to stay here Anna. I trust Sven, he'll watch after you. I'll stay here and watch after Arendelle." Anna knew Kristoff would stay behind. She knew it all along. And as much as she did not like it, hated it in fact, she understood. She was rash and quick to make decisions. He was careful, and thought through every decision.

She just nodded, as her eyes filled with tears. Anna did not want to leave Kristoff, but she needed her sister. Instead of crying again, she ran into Kristoff's arms. It was as if they were waiting for her.

"I'll go talk to Sven a bit, let him know your plan before you three head out," he spoke quietly in Anna's ear.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Kai spoke up. Though he whispered it to Gerda, Kristoff could still hear, "After all, she is the last in the royal line."

"I know what I'm doing," replied Anna annoyed at what she overheard. "And I'm leaving my fiancé Kristoff in charge while I'm gone. I promise I'll be back, you can count on that.

Hesitantly both Kai and Gerda just nodded and agreed to the princess' plans. They really did not have much of a say.

Kristoff went to Sven's own stable he custom built for him. It was not a stable really, more like a room where Sven could go in and out whenever he pleased. It was more like a personal room more than anything. The reindeer was sad, and at first did not want to. It was their first time being apart, separated from each other. But Kristoff was able to convince Sven how important Anna was to him, and persuading him with carrots did not exactly hurt either.

When Kristoff was done putting on Sven's custom made saddle, and provided Anna with a pack of everything she needed, she came out in her riding dress with Olaf, ready to go.

Anna gave Kristoff a tight hug whispered in his ear, "I love you."

She got herself on the Sven, who Kirstoff could make out a look of awkward discomfort, and plopped the snowman right in front of her.

As she rode off, looking at her fiancé from behind, Kristoff whispered back, "I love you too."

_Be careful._


	11. Chapter 11 - Don't Panic

**My goal was to upload this chapter by the end of the week, which I timely managed to do so. I've been working through some emotions and stress lately, and on top of college it makes everything feel heavier. I've also been planing to write a modern Elsanna fic, and have been hashing out the plot. Still haven't decided if I will give it a go, but if I do, it will be after I finish this story. Thanks guys for waiting and supporting me, you're the best!**

It was later that afternoon when Elsa and Tanya finished their work for the inn-keeper Geralt. Though Elsa had fallen into the water, and Tanya slipped a few times afterwards, they both got a good laugh from it.

Elsa did not realize how cute Tanya's laugh was. It was soft, not too loud but not too quiet. And she always smiled big, showing off her straight teeth when she did.

Finally with sore arms, they headed back to the inn. Geralt, who was always working the front desk, thanked them again and again for their work.

"My lazy zon von't do eet. All he doez ez zeed around all dee, he ez so lazy. One dey he vill have to take over da inn, and realize with life comes verk. Thank you again, usually preddy girls like yerselves would never do such a favor."

Tanya blushed and moved closer to Elsa, her arm pressing against hers.

"No really it's us who should be thanking you," said Elsa. Though they were more than just two "pretty girls," as put, she was not going to give away their identity.

"Vell allow me to tip you girls someding."

"No really its okay, your generosity to us has been enough…"

"Take dees," in his palm he held a little sack of coins. It was enough to buy some new clothes, and maybe some food.

"I can't just take it," Elsa paused, amazed at the generosity. She felt Tanya tug on her hand behind her back with her own, as if to say _just take it._ That alone convinced her to stop trying to be polite and accept the gift. "Thank you," her small feminine hand took the sack out of Geralt's callused covered hand.

When they had left the Squidside inn, Elsa counted how much Geralt had really "tipped" them.

"Five pieces of silver!? Are you serious?" Tanya leaned into the queen to get a better look.

"But why?"

"Maybe he was flirting with you," the princess said playfully.

"I doubt it, the man looked kind of bored, not interested."

"We can get new clothes for that! We can get a pack, and some food!"

It's a good thing it's not too late in the afternoon, or the market would be closed and we'd have no place to stay."

"We could stay at the inn again," Tanya suggested.

"If worse comes to worse, but I'd rather that we don't take from the man anymore."

They walked along the pier, close to one another. Tanya had not left Elsa's side since they left the Squidside Inn, and Elsa rather liked it. The past few days, no, week, had been a whirlwind. Not just physically but emotionally. Elsa did not know what to feel. Her guilt was growing, from their escape from the pirate ship, and causing the death of an entire crew. The pirates could have taken other prisoners just like her and Tanya, but had no way of escaping. There could have been sailors on the ship forced to be pirates against their will. Even the men that had attempted to enslave them. Even they did not deserve to die. Elsa could not believe they died by her hand. Her heart was weakening, and hording in the horrible secret from Tanya was growing more unbearable to keep inside. But she had to.

If Tanya knew what she did, what the potential of her magic was, that would break the girl's trust. The princess would see her as an enemy, not a friend. A monster, not a protector. Someone dangerous, a murderer.

But being around the girl was doing something else to her heart. The growing feelings Elsa had for her were counteracting with the fact that she had experienced one of her worst fears. Her fear of becoming a monster once more was her sickness, but Tanya was her medicine.

Elsa suddenly believed she could fight the feeling of wanting to curl up into a ball, or lock herself in a room. This time she could take her fears head on in combat. This time when facing her fears, she wasn't alone. Even if Tanya had no idea what she was going through or what she was feeling, Elsa was okay with that. Simply having someone there that cared, at least she thought so at least, was enough.

But she was also worried concerning her growing feelings. Sure, Elsa did not realize she would ever have feelings for a girl, or that they decided to reveal themselves so suddenly. If she could accept herself with having magical powers, she could certainly handle this. It was not a matter of was she okay with it, but would others be? _ How would Anna respond if I told her my feelings for Tanya?_ But she was far away from Arendelle and her responsibilities as queen. She did not expect to be taken out of her role as queen, her original plan was to find Tanya and bring her back to Arendelle. By saying yes to Tanya that she would accompany her to Aldyn, was she rejecting her throne and responsibilities?

_No, she was simply fulfilling the promise she made…_

But deep down, Elsa knew that was only partially true. Though she did not expect to be kidnapped by pirates and end up in a foreign land, she did have power over her decision of going back to Arendelle. But, very unlike herself, she chose the off-beam choice and she knew it. But somehow, she just could not say no.

The two girls walked into a small clothing store. They decided if they were going to leave that evening, they would need different clothes, not the ripped up dresses they were wearing under their cloaks. As soon as they walked in, they were swarmed by different dresses for different occasions, all on display. Elsa knew right away she wanted something practical for travel and comfort, nothing too fancy or that said she was of nobility.

As she saw a simple, basic blue dress with a light blue floral pattern, Tanya separated from her, going to the other side of the store. The dress was a slightly different style than that of an Arendelle dress. The pattern towards the bottom of the skirt had a more vibrant pattern, which was quite lovely. Though the dress had an off-shoulder neckline, it had long bishop style sleeves. A large white stripe with a pattern flowed down the middle. The skirt length fell a few inches above her ankles. Though it wasn't Arendelle fashion, it looked as if it would fit similarly to her dresses at home. The rest of the dresses in the store were nothing like she would normally wear.

She raised her head and searched the store to see where Tanya ventured off to. Farther in the back she saw the princess looking at tunics and pants. Specifically a black pair of pants, and a red shirt with a floral pattern and a tie at the waist. The hue of red made the color of the girl's silky light brown hair pop, almost glow. It was definitely her color, not that dark green tone she wore at the ball. Tanya's fingertips gently observed the rose pattern, and smiled in approval. Though she was a bit surprised to see the princess going for more masculine clothes, it made sense when they were going to be traveling for a while. Tanya saw Elsa's stare and from the edges of her lips creaked a smile. Tanya was definitely studying what Elsa's choice of wear was, and it made her anxious.

What if the dress did not look good on her? Or what if Tanya did not like it? Or more importantly, why did she even care about how she dressed in front of her?

It made Elsa's head hurt.

_Ok so I like Tanya, I think I can handle that. But why do I feel like I need to be perfect in front of her?_

But in some aspects, she needed to be stronger. There was no way she was going to let Tanya know what happened on board the pirate ship. If she knew what happened, not only would she fear Elsa but run away from her like in the beginning. And Elsa didn't know if she could handle someone disappearing from her life again.

A sweat came upon her body, as her topaz blue eyes were still fixed on the dress. Tanya could never know she was a murderer, that she not only killed one, but nearly a hundred men. If Elsa was able to control her powers, yet be unable to stop that from happening, what could Tanya's fire do? To have that fear and actually become a monster, a lesser human being, was too much to handle. Elsa was queen of Arendelle, blessed and cursed with magical powers, and had unwillingly become a killer. She couldn't block it out or deny it anymore.

Elsa's hands started to shake.

If she did not have powers, she would have never killed. None of this would have ever happened. She had never fully hated her powers, they were just another part of her, like the barely-there freckles which dusted her cheeks. Growing up, her problem wasn't hating her own powers. Rather it was others not accepting them, accepting her. But now…

Elsa looked down at her sweating hands. She hated them. She wished it was not a part of her. The Duke of Weaselton was right for calling her a monster a year ago, maybe even predicting what was to eventually come. They were the reason why she was different, a monster, and a murderer. And it scared her senseless.

Tanya was coming towards Elsa, but the queen hardly gave her recognition as she fainted and fell to the ground. The last thing she heard was Tanya's voice calling the woman at the counter for help.

* * *

Anna rode on Sven the reindeer's back as they trekked through the forest. Olaf was on her lap happily keeping the princess company to relieve their boredom. He was funny at times, but one thing the snowman was good at was keeping a conversation. Or at least constantly talking. It distracted her from missing Kristoff so much, after leaving him behind in Arendelle. She missed his huge arms which gently held her close. His reassuring voice that not only made him seem confident, but made her feel confident as well.

"And then Elsa one time let me have a whole mug of this delicious concoction called hot chocolate…"

If Anna could not think about Kristoff, it was always about her sister. And Olaf, made by Elsa herself, was not going to let the princess forget her sister. Along the path made by travelers before them, Olaf told the two several stories about times he had spent with Elsa. He was sharing with them both his favorite story in particular, about when he tried chocolate for the first time.

"Who knew chocolate could be hot?" He exclaimed with a childish wonder.

Sven just grunted back at him.

He was not uncomfortable or bothered with her and Olaf riding on his back. But Anna could tell that the reindeer missed his best friend back at home. It was rather obvious, the way he was so quiet and his head drooped low. Olaf even told him "speak up Sven" a few times, before continuing to talk.

Olaf's stories gave her determination. She was going to find her sister and bring her back to Arendelle. She would not stop until she did.

The birds flew low up ahead in the distance, leading the way for them to follow. While flying they would circle around each other, and during breaks they would huddle next to one another. Though the magic emanating from the birds clashed and created steam, they ignored the fact they were slowly extinguishing each other while doing so. Olaf was always so charmed by the birds, and the way they interacted with each other. Like his stories, maybe they were a reminder of Elsa for him.

Anna was so oblivious to her surroundings, she hardly saw the traveler on horse ahead. It was until the stranger was a few feet in front of their group, that Anna took notice.

"Oh! Hello there," she said, initiating the greeting.

"Hello to you as well," the man said back.

"So, how long is the road really?" Anna chuckled.

"I'd say you could probably make it to the closest town in about a day or so, depending on weather conditions."

It occurred to Anna this could be a good opportunity to ask about her sister.

"Have you seen or heard of two ladies traveling together east?" At least she thought they were going east, that was the direction the birds were flying anyway.

The stranger was observing their unusual traveling party before he spoke. "I haven't seen anyone at all on these roads, except for you few. Although in one town I stopped at, there was a strange rumor going around. Maybe you would know something of it."

"Why is that?"

The traveler simply pointed at the two birds sitting in the tree and to Olaf. "According to what I've heard, a trade ship sunk at sea by freezing. Only a handful of sailors survived, but they described the ship becoming like a block of pure ice. That magical bird you've got there reminded me of what I heard earlier."

_Elsa._

_Anna knew it was her._

"Really, were these sailors from the east?"

"Yes just over the mountains and through the valley. They were at the town I stopped at while I picked up supplies. I'm sorry, I haven't heard of your two friends. Friends, am I correct?"

Anna could tell he was a little suspicious of her. The way he worded his question made it so he was trying to learn more about her, without bluntly asking her more personal questions. This stranger was beating around the bush, and that made Anna uncomfortable. She could tell Sven was wary as well, by the way he had his head cocked to the side. Anna was passively yet politely going to make her getaway.

"Yeah… They're just friends." _Wrong one of them she hardly knew, and the other was her sister, the queen._ "Well thanks for your time, but we should be on our way. Right Sven?"

The reindeer made a loud grunt in agreement, and started walking forward and past the man.

"Anytime," he dipped his head and made eye contact with the princess. His eyes looked hungry. Yet he made his way in the opposite direction.

Once they were out of his hearing range, Olaf exclaimed, "That man was kind of creepy!"

"Shhh don't be so loud or he'll hear you."

"Sven didn't care for him that much, did you buddy?"

The reindeer just shook his head to affirm Olaf was correct.

"Well, at least he was nice enough to tell us what he heard down the road. So we're not simply following a random path… at least I think."

"You don't have to worry about that, the birds know where Elsa and Tanya are. If they didn't they wouldn't be leading us to them, right?"

"I guess you are right," Anna smiled. "But I do agree, there was something strange about that man."

She wished Kristoff was there to reverse it on herself, that there was something strange about her riding a reindeer followed by magical birds and a snowman. Of course the traveler was curious about them, he probably had never seen anything like them in his life.

Anna missed her fiancé. She wished Kristoff was with her.

Just as she was thinking these things, the crew made their way out the other side of the mountain range.

* * *

It was the same dream again. Dead bodies floating everywhere in the water. This time though the bodies were frozen in large cubes of ice. Elsa could not close her eyes to the sight, they were frozen open. She tried running away in the empty space, but when she tried to move her legs and feet, they were frozen in place as well. She was stuck, stuck in her own dream and forced to relive her worst nightmare again. All she could do in response was cry. Chilled tears streamed down her face and turned into liquid fire on her face. She drank her tears down as they drowned her face, and it made her delirious. Elsa could not think. She could barely feel any emotion anymore besides the painful tears, glossing over her eyes and covering her face. Her thoughts were just as choppy as her feelings. She tried wiping her tear-stained cheeks with her hand, which was surprisingly warm to the touch.

_Elsa._

She heard her name, though she couldn't make out the voice.

_Elsa._

There it was again. The queen was confused. She could still feel the warmth of her hand on her cheeks. It was comforting.

_Oh Elsa… it'll be ok._

She could feel a new warmth all over her body. It melted her bad dream, her nightmare which became reality. It melted her soul, every segment in her body. This was new. It felt… good.

Her eyes opened with a flutter. Immediately she sensed she was on the ground, and her head was in someone's lap. Her forehead felt heavy, just like the rest of her body.

"She woke up, do you have any water?"

It was that voice again, a female voice.

_Was she talking to me? No, it didn't sound like she was._

A shadow cast upon Elsa and she heard the young woman say, "Thank you."

Elsa moved her eyes up just slightly to see the young woman who spoke from above, which so happened to be Tanya. She was staring down into her eyes. But it was not a harsh or critical stare, far from it.

"Hey there," Tanya spoke directly to her.

Elsa just blinked, not breaking off her glance.

"You fainted."

Her stomach churned. Did she really?_ How embarrassing._

Tanya took the rag in her available hand, the other helping prop up Elsa's head, and dipped it in a bowl of warm water. She wrung it, and began stroking Elsa's face, including wiping underneath her eyes. It felt so good in so many different ways.

"You were crying while you blacked out." Tanya moved her hand holding Elsa's head, and adjusted her position slightly. With her fingers, she started gently caressing Elsa's light blonde hair.

Elsa was reorienting herself. She was laying on her back on top of a couch. A door was partially open, and she saw it led to the front of the store they were in earlier.

Tanya could see her slight confusion. "The lady working at the counter saw what happened, and helped me move you to the couch in the back. Luckily she didn't kick us out for creating a scene in front of customers. Luckily there were no customers besides us, so had to help us."

Elsa, feeling like she was constantly humiliating herself in front of the girl, tried to sit up. Though her head still felt heavy and dizzy, she could manage it. Who knows how long she had passed out for? It was most likely too late for them to head out on the road. And it was all because she had panicked and fainted.

But she felt a touch, a hand resting itself on her shoulder. Tanya's hand slightly tugged on her shoulder, as if to say "lay back down."

Elsa laid back down, resting on Tanya as the hand encouraged her to do. Her fingertips continued running through her hair, as the washcloth fell back stroking her face. It sent a chill through her blood.

"You've been taking care of me this whole time… so let me take care of you this time."

Her storm in her eyes were thrashing as she spoke. Elsa nuzzled slightly into her hand. It was warm, comforting, yet new.

The queen smiled. _She was alright with that._


End file.
